


love makes a fool of us all

by Moonlit



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2014-08-25
Packaged: 2017-12-21 20:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/904611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonlit/pseuds/Moonlit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose just couldn't fathom the fact that she fancied her best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. a warning sign

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, folks! Well, this is my first Scorose ever, so be nice (though I loooove feedback). Well, I had this idea - actually, I had the first sentence - out of the blue and decided to work on it for sport. I got so excited about it that I finished it in less than three days (which is a record, I'm such a slow writer). Anyway, don't worry if you don't get the whole story right away, I promise I'll explain everything throughout the following chapters.
> 
> Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling and nothing hurts.

 

**Love makes a fool of us all**

_A warning sign_  
 _I missed the good part then I realised_  
 _I started looking and the bubble burst_  
 _I started looking for excuses_

_Warning Sign - Coldplay_

* * *

Rose Weasley didn't know why it was annoying her so much lately. Ok, she might have thought of some possibilities, but, really, it couldn't be that. It  _just_ couldn't. It  _would_ certainly be because she was going crazy trying to fit her NEWTs schedule - her father always told her she was too much like her mother for her own good - and just didn't have the patience to listen to all of this over and over again every waking moment, with so many subjects to catch up with.

But the thing was she was  _so_ not going to stand Scorpius Malfoy talking about his boring-to-hell girlfriend anymore.

Really, this had been going since the previous year. They were best friends and Albus was as good at love counselling as he was at Arithmancy - he wasn't -, and Scorpius had had so many girlfriends since then that Rose didn't even bother counting anymore. Three? Four? Oh, but that didn't make anything any difficult - they were always the same tall, slim, blonde girl who didn't exactly have academic achievements in mind. So, yeah, she was the only person with half a brain and half a heart who was available to give him some guidance.

And now she was wondering what  _the hell_ she was thinking when she agreed to that.

"...and then Carrie said she was just his friend and they were talking about the Potions assignment. I mean, I am really good at Potions and I'm a year above her, why couldn't she ask me?" Scorpius finished his monologue three minutes later, looking really upset.

"Oh, my God, Scorpius, are you listening to yourself? You've got to be kidding me.  _This_  is why I'm sitting here for the past half an hour? So you can talk about your sore ego?" Rose groaned, pressing her forehead against the library table. So many precious minutes of study lost just like that.

"No, you're here because you love my absolutely awesome company" Scorpius answered immediately, because that was his trademark answer, and Rose's reaction was always an equally trademarked eye roll.

"See, this is why your ego is so easily hurt. You show it off far too much," she pointed out, turning her attention back to her mind-blowing Transfiguration essay. "Also, you're being a total jerk. Carrie is free to talk to whomever the hell she wants. You're her boyfriend, not her owner, stupid. Get over yourself."

"Ouch, harsh, Rosie" Scorpius said, dramatically putting his hand against his chest, but his ice-blue eyes were shining playfully. "But, yeah, you're probably right. I reckon I might've overreacted a little bit, but it's just that she was being so shady about this Arrington bloke. You can't blame me for getting suspicious."

Rose sighed, closing her eyes. Of course she was being shady about him, with Scorpius around the corner, out to get her red-handed. Why had he agreed to date the most, well,  _outgoing_  fifth year Gryffindor if he spent more time worrying about her agenda with other blokes than actually dating her? It was beyond Rose to ever understand that.

"Actually, I can and I will. Honestly, Scorpius, you can't be with her if you won't bring yourself to trust her. And if you don't think she deserves your trust, why are you with her in the first place?" she argued, exasperated. It was so damn simple that she was finding it very annoying to actually be forced to say it. Scorpius was old enough - and dated those kinds of girls enough times - to know everything she was talking about by heart. And she still had a foot long essay to write instead of telling him things he already knew. That was why she was annoyed. Nothing else. Absolutely nothing else.

Scorpius ran his hand through his strikingly blonde hair and wrinkled his nose in a way Rose was trying very, very hard not to find absolutely adorable. _Oh, well, you're best friends with the hottest guy of the entire sixth year, these things are bound to happen. It doesn't mean anything in particular,_ she thought, deliberately ignoring the increasing warmth around her ears. Damn that family heritage.

"Ok, ok, I know. I'll give it a thought. Now I'll leave you to your essay, promise," Scorpius announced, getting up from his chair. He chuckled at the 'Thank Merlin' Rose breathed out and dived to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Rose, you're the best."

"Whenever am I not?" Rose muttered, thanking every god she could remember Scorpius didn't see all the shades of pink jumping out from her face.

She was  _so_  doomed.

* * *

"'Evening, losers," said Faith Davies, one of Rose's best friends, joining Rose and Albus Potter for dinner at the Ravenclaw table. Albeit being a Gryffindor, Harry Potter's middle son almost always dined at either his cousin's or Scorpius' house table. Lily had already given up trying to remind him who was really his sibling. Faith, on the other way, was Rose's roommate who always had a sharp response to anything (and anyone); there was no doubt as to why she was easily accepted into the Weasley-Potter's den (as she liked to call it). "So, where's the other piece of the puzzle?" she asked, obviously referring to Scorpius, who was also known to have meals with the both of them.

"Dunno," answered Albus with a mouthful of food that would make Rose's dad proud. Both girls glared at him, but he just shrugged and swallowed with a giant gulp. "He said he was going to talk to Carrie. That was like three hours ago, though, so I reckon they're shagging or something."

At that statement, Rose lost control of her knife, causing part of her meat pudding to fly out of her plate. Albus just chuckled and resumed his Neanderthal eating manners, but Faith wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing; she raised her eyebrows so high they almost got lost into her very dark hair and gave Rose a meaningful look with her piercing green eyes.  _Perfect, Weasley. Now she won't give you a second of peace, and for no reason! Absolutely NO reason!,_ Rose thought, furious with herself, and began thinking of a way out of Faith's questioning.

"I thought he was sure she fancied Nate Arrington. He wouldn't stop talking about this earlier," she gave her best at nonchalant, eating what was left of her pudding with a dignified poise.

"Yeah, but she's still hot," replied Albus, earning more glares from the girls. "What? It's true. Besides, Roxie's always talking about how this Arrington bloke's a prick."

"But it's Roxie we're talking about, not the type of girl Scorpius usually dates," Rose countered, and Faith nodded her agreement.

"Hey, I hear you," Roxanne Weasley called out from where she was sitting with her girlfriend, Jasmine Corner. Roxie was just another Gryffindor who completely abandoned her house table.

"It's a compliment," Faith said, laughing. "You obviously have better taste in women than Scorpius."

"Thank you!" Jasmine remarked, giggling, before returning to her conversation with Roxanne.

Albus disgustingly gulped the last bit of his pie before getting up quickly.

"Have to go. Fred wants another practice before the Hufflepuff match," he announced, turning to look at Fred's sister, who was also raising from her chair. "Coming, Roxie?"

"Yup, right after you, Al," she replied, giving Jasmine a quick kiss and joining her cousin. "I'm so going to destroy Frank!"

Rose snickered while her cousins walked out of the Great Hall, trying to picture the scene. Even though Roxanne was a hell of a chaser, the real competition would be reserved to the Longbottom twins, Frank and Alice. As he only got to join Hufflepuff team this season while Alice was on Gryffindor's since last year, this match would be very interesting. Uncle Neville should brace himself.

As she was turning to face Faith so she could ask her opinion about the contest, Rose realised she was absolutely  _not_ off the hook, and wondered how foolish it was to ever think she could be.

"So," Faith had a terrifyingly inquisitive voice she always used for interrogation purposes, and there was no doubt that was the case. Rose suppressed a groan, expecting the worse. "Scorpius."

"Yeah, I know him," Rose replied slowly, trying to maintain a blank expression. "For over five years now."

"Yes, of course, since Hogwarts Express, your best friend," Faith added with a devilish smile, not even blinking while searching for the real answers in Rose's eyes. "The one you fancy."

"I do not!" squealed Rose, opening her eyes wide.  _How dare Faith say something like this! Scorpius is like-like- well, not like my brother, but-_

"Do, too!"

"Do NOT!"

"For Merlin's pants, you absolutely do! You're so further gone with him than you ever were when you fancied Luke Thomas," Faith replied, laughing hard while musing over Rose's crush on Fred's best friend. "I mean, at least you recovered pretty quickly when he started dating Jameson, and you certainly didn't lose any food because of him!"

Rose rolled her eyes with impatience; Faith was so completely off the point that Rose wondered if the Sorting Hat had done something wrong when it put her in Ravenclaw, because that was  _not_  the logic of a true raven.

"You're being ridiculous," Rose stated in a disdainful tone, getting up. "So ridiculous I'm going to leave you talking to yourself and go to my patrol. Have you seen Phil?" she asked, knowing very well that mentioning her patrol partner would put a halt to her fun.

Predictably enough, Faith stopped laughing and sobered up immediately to look around the table.

"Dunno. We were studying at the library this afternoon, but I haven't seen him since then," she said, shrugging, but Rose knew her all too well.

"Oooh, getting cosy at the library, aren't you?" Rose replied with a smirk; Faith was getting more and more obvious about her crush on Phillip Boot every day.

"You tell me, isn't there your favourite place to 'get cosy' with Scorpius?" Faith retorted, looking rather pleased with herself for the comeback. Rose huffed and took off without looking back. "Deny all you want, sweetie! You know you'll prove me right in the end!"

* * *

Rose arrived at the meeting point at the first floor corridor ten minutes early. Most of the prefects were already there, including the Head Boy - who was also captain of the Ravenclaw team, titles Uncle Bill never seemed to stop gloating about -, her cousin Louis. She waved at him and walked over with a smile.

"Hey, Lou, what's up?" Rose greeted him happily, and then frowned, remembering he wasn't supposed to patrol on Tuesdays. "I didn't know you were patrolling tonight."

"I wasn't going to, but that prankster Fred decided to have practice today, which cost us Albus, Amber  _and_  Alice, so I had to change the schedules" Louis replied, absolutely fuming. "I swear to Merlin, Rose, if we don't crush them I won't be able to live with myself."

Rose laughed; she should have known that last hour practice wasn't  _just_ for precaution. Fred always loved to push his cousin's buttons, and even though Louis posed as the role model student, he always responded in kind - that was how they would show their love for each other. Fred should really watch his back for the next days, then.

"Don't worry, we'll have Jasmine distracting Roxanne. It's a good thing she's dating our keeper," Rose said with a wink at Louis. Of course nothing stopped Roxanne with a quaffle, but she could dream.

"You have the most conniving mind I've ever seen, Rosie. And, yes, I'm aware I have Dominique as a sister," Louis responded with a smirk, knowing this would make his cousin snort. No, no one could ever be as  _conniving_  as the only Weasley to ever be placed in Slytherin. "Well, as today's schedule is totally screwed thanks to that moron, do you want to patrol with me?"

"But I'm here, Louis," Phil said, rather annoyed, placing himself beside Rose, which made her jump in surprise.

"Yeah, I know, mate, but since everyone's routine is scrambled, I figured I could at least catch up a little with Rosie here," Louis responded, unfazed by his beater's remark. "You can patrol with whomever you choose."

Phil hesitated; he had some need to follow routines, and Rose and Faith always harassed him about it. Rose was about to cave and go with him instead out of pity when he shrugged and left to find another partner.

"Well, let's go, then. We'll take the east wing tonight," Louis announced and they took the pathway leading to the Astronomy Tower.

"Hey, Weasley, wait a sec!"

Both Weasleys turned their heads towards the voice, even though Rose knew very well that wasn't directed at her. After all, Scorpius hasn't called her Weasley since first year (except when they were fighting, which wasn't the case, she expected).

"Yes, Malfoy?" Louis asked politely, raising an eyebrow in confusion. He was friendly with Scorpius for the sake of their cousins, but it was unusual for him to be needed by the Slytherin seeker.

"Yeah, I was wondering if we could swap partners. I really need to talk to Rose," he asked sheepishly, scratching the top of his head.

Louis sighed, rolling his eyes and looking pointedly at Rose, who smiled apologetically. Now  _that_ was some really weird request; Scorpius never had such urgency in talking to her, and Rose couldn't help but wonder (it wasn't hope, because there was nothing to be hopeful for, period) what inspired him to do that.

"You've got to be the most disputed prefect in all history," he muttered, throwing his hands up in surrender. "Ok, I give up. Take care of her, Malfoy."

"It's more like the other way round, actually," Rose replied, laughing, but stopped immediately when she caught a glimpse of Phil crossed expression. She looked at him, feeling guilty, but he just shrugged again. Well, she would apologise to him tomorrow at the practice. He would understand that Scorpius needed- whatever the hell he needed.  _The same can't be said about Faith, though. Ugh, I should probably die without ever telling her this._

"Very funny. Well, let's go," Scorpius said, taking Louis' place as they walked away to perform their duties.

* * *

About five minutes of complete silence later, Rose was absolutely sure he was just trying to use her curiosity as a self-destruction weapon. She huffed, but Scorpius didn't even seem to notice.

"Scorpius, if you don't tell me what's going on, I swear, I'll push you out of the Astro-"

"Carrie told me she loved me," Scorpius blurted out, getting paler by the second.

"WHAT?" Rose couldn't help but scream, shocked.

"Yeah, I know," he whispered, panicking.

"And what did you do?" she demanded to know, dreading the answer already.

Scorpius hesitated, averting his look to the ground, and Rose felt her breath catch in her chest. That was a not good sign.

"I-I told her I loved her too."

Rose stopped dead in her tracks, and taken aback was an understatement to what she was feeling. She gaped at Scorpius, incapable of producing any sound at all. That was _not_  what she was expecting.  _And what was I expecting? I wasn't expecting anything, I was just- just curious, that's all. And this is absolutely crazy. Absolute, complete and utter crazy._

"Rose, say something, anything," Scorpius begged, desperation in his voice.

But Rose didn't think she could do talking any time soon. There was something very thick blocking her throat and she took a few seconds to realise she wasn't breathing either. Scorpius loved Carrie, that absurdly stupid girl whose only interests were boys and shopping. That couldn't be happening, nope, that was a nightmare and she would wake up and tell him and laugh with him because that  _just_   _wasn't possible_.

"ROSE!"

"WHAT THE HELL, SCORPIUS?" she finally found her voice, and oh, she was angry.

"I DON'T KNOW! I JUST SAID IT, OK?" Scorpius yelled back hysterically.

"NO, IT'S NOT OK! OH, MY GOD, SCORPIUS!" Rose didn't know what she was so furious about, but at that moment she hated every bit of her best friend. "THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU JUST  _SAY_!"

There was a moment of silence, in which Scorpius breathed out slowly and Rose tried to calm herself down. Her heart was killing her and there was a swell in her throat, but she didn't have the energy nor the will to investigate the reasons; at least not at that time.

"I know," he whispered hopelessly. "I know, and I feel like a jerk, but she was there telling me all those things and it just didn't feel right to leave her without saying it back."

Rose swallowed, thinking about her next words carefully. She didn't know if she really wanted the answer, but she had to ask.

"And do you love her?" her voice was as calm as she could manage.

"I-I don't know. I like her, I like to spend time with her, but-but I don't know if I can call this love," Scorpius confessed, looking as puzzled as she was. "But now I've said it, anyway, so I reckon I'll have to deal with it, right?"

They stared at each other for a long moment and Rose's mind was working relentlessly, trying to find a solution; to what, she didn't know. Scorpius clearly didn't know what he was doing, let alone feeling, and the deed was done, anyway. She couldn't think of anything to do to help him. Finally, she conceded and sighed.

"Yeah, I suppose so," she said, resuming her walking and putting an end to the conversation.

The rest of their patrol went out without much talking and they soon called it a night. But by the time Rose laid on her bed, there was only one thing screaming at the back of her mind and she didn't think she could deny it for much longer.

She was falling in love with Scorpius.


	2. what a wicked game to play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm very aware that it took me one year to update this (I actually warned you guys that I'm a slow writer). But it was one hell of a year! I graduated from college and then started graduate school right away. My life's been crazy and maaaybe (certainly) I shouldn't be ficwriting, since I have loads of things to write and read for my essay. But I like the dangerous life, so here it is.

_What a wicked game to play_  
 _To make me feel this way_  
 _What a wicked thing to do_  
 _To let me dream of you_

_Wicked Game - Phillip Phillips_

* * *

 

Rose couldn’t measure just for how long she had been asleep, but she was sure it wasn’t even close to the amount of sleep she needed to stand the next day. She looked at her watch lazily and noticed she had a full hour before she would have to get ready for classes. In other words, she had plenty of time to overthink and figure out when the hell she started fancying her best friend.

They had met at the Hogwarts Express on their very first trip. Albus had gone out looking for James to get his money for the trolley and had asked Rose if she could find an empty compartment. After a few minutes, dodging Fred running from a livid Louis and laughing fits with Dominique harassing Victoire about Teddy, she had finally reached a less crowded wagon. Rose had already half entered a blissfully empty compartment when she caught sight of a pale boy sitting by himself not so far from her. She had immediately remembered her father’s voice — that was Scorpius Malfoy, the one she was supposed to beat at school. He had hair as blonde as his father’s and it was getting in his very blue eyes, which had been looking outside the window warily. He had looked so lonely and scared; why would her father want her to be his enemy?

So she had done the complete opposite of what was expected of her and entered his cabin. Scorpius had gone full defensive at first, but by the time Albus found them they were already addressing each other by the first name and laughing about almost anything. Hours later they had got into different Houses, and Rose got really scared that the magic bond would fade the next day, but it didn’t; they were inseparable.

Eventually, her and Albus’ families accepted him into their homes — it took some time for Rose’s father to overcome his pride and admit that Scorpius was a nice bloke despite his last name —, and soon he was as part of The Burrow’s Sunday lunches as the Longbottoms and Scamanders. Scorpius’ father was the hardest to convince (Rose found him absolutely terrifying, but was wise enough to never mention it), but Scorpius always talked about how he was secretly fond of his son’s best friends as well.

As for Ms. Malfoy, she had once confessed to Rose that she was very grateful her son had them both as friends, as she had been afraid he would be bullied at school because of his family history. And the fact that Rose and Albus of all people didn’t give the past much thought only proved that they were the perfect companies for Scorpius. All in all, with their families’ blessing, everything went smoothly.

At school, it hadn’t taken long until the uncanny trio became rather popular. Albus and Rose had been expected to be popular, considering their last names, and Scorpius had turned out to be the spicy addition to the group thanks to his witty remarks and playful nature — something none of the Hogwarts students were expecting and were more than happy to acknowledge. They excelled at Quidditch and, specially Rose and Scorpius, achieved top marks at almost every subject. It had soon come to a point where Rose didn’t know what she would do if that balance ever went undone.

 _Well, wouldn’t fancying the pants off your best friend be something of a hazard to that stability, then?_ Rose bit her lip and revolved on her bed for a while. She could find every star on a chart within five minutes, but was as blind as a bat when it came to the matters of heart. It had taken six months and several jokes from Faith for Rose to realise she had a soft spot for Luke Thomas back on her fourth year. When it had dawned on her, she completely panicked. She couldn’t bear being in the same room as him, which had proved to be particularly difficult since he spent most of the holidays at The Burrow with Fred (her mother had caught one of her escapades once, then looked at Rose’s aunt Ginny and laughed for five minutes straight — her aunt hadn’t found it nearly as amusing).

After a while she had managed to keep him company and even talk to him, but that had been all there was to it. She had never made a move, no matter how much Faith pushed her into it (literally; she had even gone down low and locked them in the barn — trick as ancient as time, but ultimately useless). And then the fifth year started and Luke soon asked Liv Jameson out, which meant the end of her summer crush. Her mother had worriedly sent her a letter asking how she was (how the gossip system functioned inside her family connections was something Rose was terrified to find out sometimes), but Rose hadn’t been even as upset as she thought she would. She had kind of expected it, with Luke being all popular and a respected prefect, so it hadn’t caught her off guard. And the best part of her painless overcome was the fact that Albus and Scorpius never found out — she wouldn’t see the end of it if they ever suspected anything.

And there she was again — Scorpius. When exactly had that crazy love bug bit her? Scorpius was supposed to be family, oh-my-god-that’s-incestuous off bounds. Still, when Rose really thought about it, Scorpius had never been anything brotherlike to her. He was...her friend. Her best friend. And somewhere along the line...the object of her affection? Her stomach flipped uncomfortably when she put it that way. Yes, that was it. She fancied Scorpius and had no idea of when, how or why.

 _Bloody perfect. I might as well jump out of the window and spare myself the trouble of breathing. Oh, God, this is just what I needed_ , she thought, getting up and looking at herself on the mirror in the middle of the room. Her red hair was soft, just like her aunt's, but even as she tried to make something out of it every day, it wasn't as pretty as Carrie's. She kind of liked her eyes — they were blueish, but still were nothing like her brother Hugo's, who had the most perfect blue sky shining on his iris. There was nothing spectacular about her — nothing that could ever make Scorpius develop any feelings. Rose frowned at her silent self-depreciation. _Well, he should like me for who I am, right? I won't pretend to be something I'm not. Besides, he knows me better than most people. And there's the thing: he still doesn't love me. He loves picture perfect Carrie_ , she concluded ruefully with a sigh.

"Rose? What the hell are you doing?" Faith asked groggily as she opened her bed curtain, waking Rose from her reverie immediately.

"The same you should be doing: getting ready for practice. Get your lazy bum off the bed, come on!" she exclaimed, waving the bad thoughts away so Faith wouldn't notice anything.

"You're so charming," Faith muttered moodily, but got up nevertheless.

——

“Great practice, team,” Louis announced as they touched the pitch ground and started walking down to the changing room. “But Phil, you’re a little off the beat with the bludgers, mate, pay attention. Keith had to do most of the job today.”

Phil simply nodded and Rose looked at Faith, who shared her puzzled face. Phil was never anything but high-spirited; nevertheless, this morning he had not uttered a word at them during breakfast, and kept the same odd behavior during the whole practice.

“Do you know anything about this?” Rose asked worriedly under her breath, to which Faith simply shrugged.

“No, I really haven’t seen him since the library yesterday,” she answered anxiously, then frowned at her best friend. “Didn’t you guys have patrols together?”

 _Bollocks. And there goes my plan to never mention last night again_ , Rose thought with an urgency to beat herself up. _Well, she doesn’t have to know it all, does she? I’ll just omit some facts._

“No, we were three prefects short because of the Gryffindor practice, then Louis called reinforcements and said we could choose — oh,” Rose stopped on her tracks, suddenly remembering she owed Phil an apology. Well, that could cheer him up. “In fact, I have to talk to Phil about that. It’ll be quick, just go without me after we change, please.”

Faith eyed her with a glimpse of jealousy and Rose simply rolled her eyes. Her best friend would always lose her logical thinking when it came to that boy in particular.

“Don’t worry, Faithie, he’s all yours, but I suggest you take him any time soon. I may know you’re head over heels for him, but if the bloke doesn’t have a clue, then you have a problem,” Rose whispered playfully, poking Faith on the arm.

“Shut up,” Faith muttered, looking annoyed, and Rose giggled as they entered the changing room.

Rose showered very quickly and put on her robes so she could reach Phil before he went to the castle. Luckily, he was still there on a bench, tying his shoes morosely. She waited until the rest of the team left before approaching him.

“Hey, Phil,” Rose called timidly, sitting beside him. “You’ve been so quiet today, are you okay?”

“Fantastic,” Phil responded, his voice laced with acid. Rose frowned, but decided not to press the matter.

“Well, I wanted to apologise for yesterday. I know how much you hate last minute change of plans, but I didn’t mean to upset you,” she said, trying to look him in the eyes, but he refused to meet her gaze.

Phil got up and walked around the room for a moment before replying. When he finally looked at her, Rose could see how angry he was. That wasn't making any sense.

“You know, I’d be ok with it if you’d just gone patrolling with Louis. I didn’t like it, yeah, but at least he got there first, and I can respect that. But no, it only took Malfoy’s puppy face for you to drop everything to go with him!” Phil lashed out, getting more and more infuriated by the second. Rose’s jaw dropped at that; was she that obvious?

“Phil, Scorpius is my best friend, he needed my help! You’re completely off the point!” she answered, bewildered. If Phil, who couldn’t notice his best friend was crazy about him, knew it, then who else would know about that?

“Yeah, he’s your best friend all right,” Phil retorted ironically. “Potter’s your best friend too and I don’t see you going out of your way to help him. Who’s off the point now?”

Rose opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to come up with an answer.

“But Albus— he’s— You know what, I don’t have to answer this,” Rose decided, getting angry herself. “What does this have to do with you, anyway?”

Phil took a deep breath and covered his face with his hands in frustration.

“You know, for a Ravenclaw, you’re pretty daft” he said with a strangled voice. "For Merlin's sake, Rose, I fancy you!”

His words were followed by a deep silence, during which Rose tried to remember how to breathe. No, that wasn’t right, Phil couldn’t fancy her. Faith fancied him, and Faith was like her sister. Phil belonged with Faith. That was so wrong.

“No, Phil—” she started feebly, but he wasn’t finished.

“Yeah, I do, and for ages now. I’ve liked you since fourth year, and I never expected you to like me back. I know you’re too good for me. But then I find out you like Malfoy! Merlin, he’s a complete tramp, and the fact that you act like his house-elf drives me crazy. He will never be able to make you happy, Rose, and you know that.”

Rose’s head was spinning wildly, trying to process all of that. It wasn’t possible; that had to be a very vivid nightmare. Phil was supposed to like Faith, Rose was so sure he liked Faith. Merlin, how was she supposed to deal with that? She couldn’t tell Faith, it would crush her, not to mention their friendship. No, she just couldn’t.

“Phil, I’m so sorry, I had no idea,” Rose whispered, overwhelmed, her eyes filling with tears.

“I know. You’re too focused on Malfoy to pay attention to anyone else,” Phil replied with bitterness, breathing out slowly. “You’d never look at me.”

Rose didn’t answer, afraid that any comforting words she might say could give him some kind of hope. He seemed to get the general idea, since he sighed and sat down on a bench at the other side of the room.

“Would you leave now, Rose? This is humiliating enough as it is. Just leave, please,” Phil asked, looking down dejectedly. She nodded, even though he couldn’t see her.

“I’m sorry, Phil. I really am,” she muttered one last time, then wiped her tears as she walked out the room.

“Yeah, whatever.”

——

“So, did you find out what was bothering him?” Faith asked with apprehension as soon as Rose sat beside her at the Ravenclaw table.

Rose turned her face immediately with the excuse of putting food on her plate, so that Faith wouldn’t be able to see her nervous expression.

“Uh, no. He’s still not in the mood, I guess,” she answered, leaning on the table to get some mashed potatoes. “But I figure he’ll snap out of it eventually.”

Faith bit her lip worriedly, but shrugged after a few seconds.

“Yeah, I reckon he will,” she said, and Rose felt her own body deflate with relief, although guilt kept biting her relentlessly. It wasn’t right, but she couldn’t muster the courage to tell Faith something like that. _It isn’t any wonder you’re not a Gryffindor, really_ , Rose thought, flustered. _Oh, Merlin, what do I do? My day just keeps getting worse._

They ate in silence for a few moments and Rose kept her inner panic attack until Faith turned her head to face her best friend with a frown.

“Wait, why are— Oh, hey, ferret spawn,” Faith interrupted her question to greet someone behind Rose (well, not just someone; since Rose’s father had decided to tell everyone the story of Draco Malfoy being turned into a ferret at last New Year’s Eve, Faith had started to call Scorpius that way to annoy the hell out of him).

Rose turned her head so fast her neck made a cracking noise. Faith snorted quietly behind her, but didn’t say anything.

“‘Afternoon, Davies. Always a pleasure to entertain you,” Scorpius responded playfully before facing Rose. “Hey, Rose, why aren’t you having lunch with Al and I?” he asked, sounding disappointed. Rose felt her breath catch and was about to get up and follow him to the Slytherin table when Phil’s words echoed in her head.

_It only took Malfoy’s puppy face for you to drop everything to go with him!_

Rose bit her lip for a few seconds, trying to come up with an explanation that wouldn’t blow her cover. Except doing that was like sending Faith a thousand beacons that something was up, but it was a lifetime of annoyance she would have to suffer.

“I just have some things to discuss with Faith, and it kind of couldn’t wait until later,” Rose said, glancing very quickly at Faith to ask for help, exchange her roommate immediately caught on.

“Yeah, Malfoy, you’re not the only one who gets to talk to her, you know. I’m sure you will survive, though,” Faith chided in, smirking at the egged on Slytherin.

Scorpius simply glared at Faith, who shrugged and kept on eating. When he looked at Rose again, he seemed agitated, and a shiver went down her spine; it was the same troubled look of the night before.

“Can I talk to you for a minute, then?” he asked quietly. “It’ll be quick, I promise.”

Rose breathed out slowly and got up. Faith arched her eyebrows at her plate, but thankfully didn’t say anything. They walked away until they reached a point where no one important could hear them (which was nearly impossible, given the extension of her family). They were almost reaching the entrance hall when Scorpius decided it was safe to talk. He studied her face for a while — her stomach was surely trying to join a circus at that point —, then tilted his head like a curious puppy — that was it, she was about to pass out.

“Is everything ok?” he asked carefully, trying to read her expression. Good thing he was a horrible reader (at that moment and when they played poker), because she had no idea how much she was letting on. “You look like you don’t want to talk to me.”

Well, not so horrible.

“It’s not that, I’m just...just worried about the things I’m discussing with Faith,” Rose answered, congratulating herself on succeeding in articulating words. “I can’t tell you what it is, though, I’m sorry,” she added as he opened his mouth to ask. _Except that it begins and ends with you_ , she thought miserably.

“Ok, I won’t ask,” Scorpius said, even though he looked more than a bit aggravated. He hated being curious so much that Rose sometimes asked him why the hell didn’t he get sorted into Ravenclaw. “I just thought you were upset with me about— about last night.”

 _YES, I AM FURIOUS WITH YOU, YOU JUST RUINED MY LIFE AND IT ISN’T EVEN YOUR FAULT_ , her head all but screamed, but she concentrated on remaining calm.

“No, Scorp,” Rose replied slowly, placing a strand of hair behind her ear while avoiding his gaze. She thought her next words very carefully so she wouldn’t give anything away. “I’m not mad; I’m just— I’m concerned about you. But, uh, there’s not much you can do about it, right?”

When she looked back at him, Scorpius had a smile so sweet on his face her heart ached. His eyes shone brightly with the candle lights, staring at her with affection. Suddenly it wasn’t any wonder why she fell in love with him.

“What is it?” she asked feebly, very aware that her face was on fire. _Shit, shit, shit, shit. Could you be more obvious?_

Scorpius laughed a little, but didn’t look away.

“It’s been ages you don’t call me Scorp. I like it,” he said huskily, grinning at her.

Rose felt her entire body melt at once, and decided that if she stayed close to him any longer, she would snog him senseless. And that would be only 50% a good idea. Ok, maybe 60%.

“Well, don’t get used to it,” she snapped, seriously considering casting a freezing spell on herself so she could cool down. “I have to get back to the table. Faith is staring daggers at me.”

It was only half true; Faith was indeed staring intently at her, but it was with the biggest smirk she could muster. Then Rose remembered that she would have to explain Faith why she didn’t want to sit with Scorpius and wondered if the Giant Squid would drown her if she asked nicely.

“Ah, Davies. A waste of good looks,” Scorpius muttered, rolling his eyes. Then he caught the very annoyed look on Rose’s face and added quickly: “I know your friends are off bounds, Rosie, chill out. She’s pretty, but I can’t stand her most of the time. Besides, I have a girlfriend who, by the way, is also requesting my attention.”

Rose sighed tiredly, suddenly feeling irrevocably hopeless. She had no chance with him, and even if she did, he would rather have her best friend. Which was the reverse situation when it came to Phil. Merlin wouldn’t give her a break.

“Yeah, I suppose you do,” she mumbled, but managed to smile weakly.

“See you at Arithmancy,” Scorpius winked and walked leisurely to the Gryffindor table, where Carrie sat, looking displeased.

After a few seconds, Rose gloomily went back to the Ravenclaw table, deliberately ignoring Faith’s inquisitive look. She looked at her plate and suddenly lost her appetite. Her day was definitely crashing down like a meteor.

“So, I reckon I covered for you, and I still don’t know why,” Faith said softly, noticing her friend wasn’t in the best of moods. She could be a bitch most of the time, but she was very protective of her friends. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Faith’s worried expression was met with silence at first. Rose played with her food, trying to decide whether or not to tell Faith about her journey of self-discovery. At last, she figured she would explode if she kept it inside for any longer. She had to tell her.

“Are you done with your lunch?” Rose asked nervously, still incapable of meeting her friend’s eyes.

“Quite done. Fancy a walk to class?” Faith understood the innuendo and got up, an act that was followed by Rose.

They walked in silence for quite a while, until Rose deemed safe to tell her secret (not so much of one, since Faith had been blabbing about it relentlessly).

“You were right,” she barely pronounced, looking down and finding her shoelaces fascinating. Somehow, though, Faith heard it.

“Alas, of course, I am always right, but to what exac—” Faith begun to reply in her smug tone until it hit her. “OH. MY. GOD. ARE YOU SERIOUS?” she bellowed, suddenly excited.

“Yes, but I still would appreciate it if the rest of the world doesn’t hear you, so shut up,” Rose retorted, looking around anxiously, but they were completely alone. Still, she rushed her friend into a passageway behind a tapestry for precaution.

“Oooooh no, nope, no way, not going to shut up. I KNEW IT!” Faith squealed, actually bouncing on the ground. “This is so cute!”

Rose was a bright, flaming shade of red, but she still managed to look at Faith as though she had grown another head. If there was a word Rose had never heard her best friend pronounce, it was “cute”. Faith thought it was “shallow” — and it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she had heard the girls from their dorm calling Phil that. Recalling Phil gave Rose a pang in the chest, but she managed to keep track of her thoughts.

“I thought I wouldn’t catch you dead using that word,” Rose replied, repressing a laugh.

“Well, you’re right, but this is a special occasion,” Faith mocked with a smile that would give the Chesire Cat a run for his money. “This is real cute. Oh, sweet Merlin, you’re in love with him!”

“I didn’t say that!” Rose exclaimed in a squeaky voice.

Faith snickered and crossed her arms, looking far too exultant with that conversation.

“Are you really trying to deny anything any longer, Rosie dear?” she asked sharply, inspecting her best friend with her eyebrows arched.

Rose sighed and wrapped a strand of her hair miserably. No, there was no denying to the extent of her affections. She had been a complete and desperate mess for the last couple of weeks all thanks to that stupid infatuation, and now that it was all clear in her head, she couldn't be more lost. _Well, I guess ignorance is some kind of twisted bliss, after all_ , she mused bitterly.

"No, I'm not," she mumbled weakly, realising she owed Faith an answer.

But Faith wasn't boasting her skills anymore. Instead, she was eying Rose worriedly.

"And what is the matter, Rose?" she asked in a serious tone, trying to meet her roommate's eyes, but Rose looked down resolutely.

"What isn't, Faith? He's my best friend, we've spent the last years more together than not and he never looked at me that way, so what do you think could ever happen?" she shrieked hopelessly, fighting back the tears that stung her eyes.

Faith exhaled and placed her hands over Rose's shoulders, finally getting to gauge her expression.

"To be honest, you yourself didn't fancy him back then, but something changed, right?" she asked patiently in an uncharacteristic soothing voice. Faith sure has some mysterious abilities, Rose thought, almost smiling. "It's not impossible."

"I know, but it's not the same, anyway. He's dating Carrie and he bloody told her he loved her," Rose blurted out, feeling nauseous. The tears finally won the battle and started rolling down her face.

"He WHAT?"

"Yeah, he told me yesterday. And of course I've been doing great since then."

Faith reached at her wand with a killer look in her eyes.

"I'm going to murder him," she hissed furiously and started moving towards the Arithmancy room's direction.

"For what? He's allowed to do that, Faith. He's my best friend and he tells me everything. You can't blame him for this," Rose reasoned quickly, afraid of what her fellow Ravenclaw could do with her vast knowledge of hexes.

That kept Faith from her assassination planning. She grunted and looked back at Rose.

"I know, but he's hurting you so much and he doesn't have a clue!" she argued, and Rose understood her struggle. If there was something Faith absolutely hated, it was feeling powerless, specially when it concerned someone she cared about.

"And he better never have. Look, Faith, it's better this way, I don't want to ruin what we have. I'd rather suffer quietly than to lose him, okay?" Rose said, forlorn but resolute. "I'll get over him eventually."

Rose had a feeling that that wasn't true, but kept that information to herself. She performed a quick spell to clean up her face and walked out of the tapestry. There were a few students walking to class, but fortunately none she should worry about.

"Okay," Faith agreed quite against her will, storing her wand back in her pocket and following Rose. "But I still want to kill him."

"Alright, stop being such a Gryffindor, you're starting to sound like my dad," Rose replied, allowing herself to laugh.

——

“Hey, sis,” Hugo called right before sitting across Rose's table at the library later that day. "Funny finding you here."

"It's not much of a surprise, since I practically live here," Rose teased her little brother with a smile and put her quill down.

"I hoped you'd have some kind of social life since you're in sixth year now, but, yeah, it's a good thing I didn't place a bet or anything," he replied with a snicker which was met with a scowl from his sister. "So, what's up? You look like you've been run over by a bunch of hypogriffs."

Rose pursed her lips and reached for a book as an excuse to look away. Hugo could be such a boy sometimes, but he had an unnerving sensibility that made it hard to feign any feelings towards him. _He spends way too much time with Lily, Lorcan and Lysander._

"I'm just tired. I have this crazy rune translation to do and today's practice was a killer. Lou's really tense with the Slytherin game next month, since Adrian is coming strong with his new chasers," she responded, minding her words very carefully while flipping the pages.

"Oh, yeah, Zabini's the new captain. Al and Scorpius were talking about it at lunch," Hugo said, stretching casually. Rose tried very hard not to stiff at the mention of her best-but-why-isn't-it-more-than-friend, though she wasn't sure if she succeeded. After a few seconds, her brother went on with a blank expression. "Lunch to which, by the way, you didn't show up. And then Scorpius got very upset and went looking for you. You talked in private, but he still got back without you, and you left with Faith right away."

By the end of his description, Rose was groaning with her face against the table. She should've known better than to try and fool Hugo. Though he wasn’t a top class student like her, he was a quiet observer, taking after the detail-oriented nature of their mother and their father’s uncanny strategic intelligence. His remarks were always unannounced but precise, and while they were really astounding, they could also be extremely annoying for his “victims”.

"You're so nosy," she grumbled in a muffled voice.

"I'm your brother, Rosie, and I'm not stupid. I thought you and Scorpius were fighting again, but you didn't try to hex each other, so I reckon it's not that, is it?"

Rose sighed in defeat and straightened up, finally looking at Hugo. Well, she could use a bloke's opinion, anyway.

"No, it's not," she answered calmly. "It'd be better if it were, actually."

"You're in love with him," Hugo whispered immediately with wide eyes, half astounded, half resolute.

Rose nearly passed out on spot. It was one thing for Faith to think so, since they spent a lot of time together and she got to witness Rose and Scorpius' interactions on a daily basis. But having her little brother, who she barely saw or talked to during school year, jumping to the same conclusion in a heartbeat? That was horrifying — not to mention humiliating.

"What? Hugo, honestly, you're a fourteen year old boy. You're not supposed to know this much about feelings," she complained while her cheeks got as red as her hair.

"I'm going to tell mum you're being sexist," Hugo replied jokingly. "But you're right, anyway, it's Lily. She's been thinking so for a while."

"What? Lily?" Rose asked, bewildered, and her brother laughed a little.

"You two've been her favourite topic for ages, she's bound to found a fan club at any moment. I didn't buy it because, I don't know, you guys hang out for ages now and nothing ever happened. Why now?"

Rose pressed her face against her hands and looked almost desperately at Hugo.

"I don't know. I just woke up today thinking 'Bloody hell, it's true'. And I don't know what to do, I can't bear staying close to him. He's dating Carrie and is always asking my opinion about her. I don't think I can take this any longer, but I can't do anything either, not without letting him know something is up," she confessed with frustration. "And I can't let Faith know that I'm in this bad of a shape or she'll worry and do something about it, which will probably make things worse. And talking about Faith..."

"What?" Hugo asked, confused, while Rose took a deep breath and made her decision. Her brother was good at keeping secrets, and she really needed some enlightenment on that subject as well.

"You can't tell a soul about this, Hugo, I mean it."

"But I can talk about the Scorpius stuff?"

"Sure, I'll just hex you six ways from Sunday," Rose responded in a rushed voice, making Hugo chuckle.

"Okay, sorry, go on," he said, lifting his hands in surrender.

"It's Phil. He— he told me he fancies me," Rose muttered warily, afraid someone, somehow, could listen to them.

Hugo only blinked for a few seconds, trying to process the information.

"What, Phil Boot? Like, the beater?" he looked for confirmation, and his sister nodded. "Well, he's an alright bloke, I reckon."

"Yeah, but I don't like him that way, he's just a good friend. Besides, Faith fancies him since last year, or maybe more," Rose explained in a sad tone.

"Oh, bloody hell," Hugo said and contorted his face while he grasped the implications of the facts. "And did you tell her?"

"No, of course not!" Rose responded quickly. "Faith might look all confidant and bitchy all the time, but Phil's a really sore subject for her. She's bonkers for him. It would ruin her and our friendship and I can't do this to her."

Hugo didn't answer right away. Instead, he crossed his arms and frowned pensively.

“Well, I’m not the best person to talk about this, you’d do better if you went to Lily, really. I know, I know, I won’t talk about this, chill out, will ya?” he said with slight annoyance in his voice in response to the wary look that formed upon his sister’s face. “I don’t know, Rose, it’s real hard. But if you think it’s best to keep quiet, so be it. I just think it’s still risky. Things could get worse if she finds out later on somehow.”

“I know, I thought about it,” Rose groaned unhappily. “But I can’t do this. It’s a chicken move, I’m aware of that, but I can’t tell her knowing that it will hurt her so much.”

“It’s your call, Rosie. But I reckon you’ll do fine,” Hugo assured, grinning confidently at her. Rose had always envied the rather carefree way her brother had in face of problems. It was obviously just on the surface, since he was a son of his parents after all, but it helped a lot to build up a feeling of safety among his peers. And, at that moment, it was all that she needed.

“Thanks, Huggie, you’re a sweetheart,” Rose said, grateful for the surprisingly good pep talk.

“Stop it. We’re family, we’re supposed to annoy the hell out of each other. Compliments don’t make the equation,” Hugo replied with a playful disgusted look on his face. “Well, I better go fetch the books for my Charms essay and find Lorcan wherever the hell he is to get it done. But, Rose, one more thing. I really I shouldn’t do this, since you’re my sister and as your brother I reckon there’s some kind of rule that says I should be against anything about this-”

“What is it?” Rose asked, puzzled at her brother’s odd behaviour.

“I don’t know, I guess I really am spending too much time with Lily, so think of this words as if they were hers, because it’s totally a thing she would say to you,” he said, clearly conflicted about what he was about to say. “Ugh, I can’t believe I’m doing this: well, I think you should go out with other blokes. I don’t know if you’ll stop thinking about Scorpius that way, but it should help somehow getting your mind off of him. Ew, did I really say that? Dad will murder me; I just betrayed his trust!” he exclaimed, suddenly terrified.

Rose laughed so hard she had to put her hands over her mouth to keep quiet. Their father would really kick Hugo’s arse for encouraging his little princess into dating. Apart from the hilarity of it all, though, he really had a point. Pinning over Scorpius while being around him all the time would surely destroy her. She had to find a distraction before she went crazy.

“Wow, Lily’s a real influence, I’m surprised. She should work more on her brother, though. Albus could really use some advice,” Rose remarked with arched eyebrows, thinking about her other best friend and shaking her head slowly. “And you do have a very good point. I’ll think about it, I swear. Thanks, Hugo.”

“Don’t mention it,” Hugo responded sheepishly and got up. “Really, don’t. It will ruin my reputation,” he added quickly with an alarmed face, making Rose laugh again. Despite all his early maturity, deep inside he was still her brat of a little brother.

 


	3. don't wake the dreamer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeeeeeeeey you! Yes, it's a brand new chapter just a few days after the previous! I'm totally screwing my academic life, but well, who cares. I just can't seem to stop writing, it's kinda unnerving. Wish I had this predisposition to write my essay. Anyway, hope you guys have fun. More Scorpius in this one, yay!

 

_Don't wake the lover_  
 _The spell I'm under_  
 _Be grace, I need it  
_ _I pray I believe it_

_Silverline - Lykke Li_

* * *

"A meter long essay? Is Hilliard trying to kill us?" Scorpius groaned quietly as he got up from the table he shared with Rose at the Transfiguration class. "We just handed him a monster essay!"

"Think about it as fifty centimetres, since we'll write it together. It's not that hard," Rose replied with a shrug, grabbing her backpack and walking out of class.  _For you, of course. I, on the other hand, am once again screwed,_  she thought with irritation, cursing her life for the up tenth time, and at the same time feeling a tinge of happiness for the excuse for expending time with him.  _You're going mental, Weasley. Mental._

Faith waved her goodbye and left for lunch with Phil, her partner in class, looking excessively happy about it. Rose smirked, but felt her stomach twist uncomfortably; three days had passed and she still hadn't found the courage to tell Faith about Phil. She didn't know for how long she could stand postponing it, but the mere thought of breaking her friend's heart was too much for her to handle.

"What's taking Al so long? I'm starving," Scorpius complained after a few seconds, tapping his foot on the floor relentlessly.

"God, you're in a right foul mood today, aren't you?" Rose commented in amusement, opening her bag and taking a chocolate frog from it. "Here, I bet this will shut you up."

Scorpius' smile was so perfect Rose found it very hard to breathe. She usually had some chocolate frogs on her – they were Scorpius' favourite, and since he was always hungry, they would come in handy. Lately (or maybe that had always been the reason, she was not sure), Rose had been using them just so she could be awarded with that handsome smile.

"You're an angel, Rosie," Scorpius stated happily, biting the head off his frog mercilessly. Rose obviously blushed, but managed to keep eye contact so it wouldn't be so embarrassing.

"Of course I am, I stand you," she retorted, sticking her tongue out. Before Scorpius could retaliate, Albus finally left the classroom along with his class partner, Amber Wood.

"Hey Rose, Scorpius," Amber greeted them chipperly, then turned to face Albus. "See you later, Al," and much to everyone's shock, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked away quickly.

Rose and Scorpius had identical stunned looks on their faces, and they stared at Albus as though he had just turned into a kneazle.

"What is it?" Albus asked, but his blush gave away that he knew exactly what it was.

"What the hell, mate?" Scorpius was the first to talk, which broke Rose from her paralysis.

"I didn't think I'd ever see this day," she said in astonishment, making Scorpius chuckle.

"It was just a kiss on the cheek, guys, hold your hippogriffs," Albus replied with a clearly fake nonchalance. His face was getting redder by the second.

"Of course it wasn't, you blithering idiot," Rose disagreed and rolled her eyes. "Amber, for some reason not even Merlin can explain, fancies you!"

Albus gasped at his cousin like the thought had never crossed his mind (it probably hadn't).

"No, she doesn't!" he exclaimed, looking at Scorpius for a support he wouldn't find. "It was just a kiss on the cheek! You guys kiss each other on the cheek all the time and you don't see me saying you fancy each other!"

Rose's face matched her cousin's at the speed of light; much to her surprise, so did Scorpius'.

"It's different, Al. We're best friends, we're allowed to do that," Rose explained a few seconds later, trying to gauge Scorpius' expression and lack of response. He frowned, taken aback by his mate's unusually good argument. Was he  _thinking_ about it? Her whole body turned into a bubbly mass of hope, but her words seemed to settle the matter for him.

"She's right. Besides, you and Amber don't hang out as much as Rose and I do, apart from the team stuff and the prefect rounds that is. Besides, I for once had never seen her doing that. Was it the first time?" Scorpius asked, composing himself almost immediately, to Rose's complete disappointment.  _Well, maybe he was just surprised that Albus actually had a good point for a change_ , she thought gloomily.

"Well, yeah," Albus answered, considering the question for the first time. "You guys reckon she fancies me?"

"Of course!" Rose and Scorpius said in unison, rolling their eyes. Albus could be a rather clever boy at classes, but, Merlin, was he worse than Rose's father had ever been when it came to feelings.

"So, uh, what do I do?" he asked, scratching his head confusedly. Rose grunted and covered her face with her hands in exasperation. How come Scorpius had already had four girlfriends and Albus still hadn't learnt  _what to do_?

"I was going to say ask her out, as you should have already thought, you dunce," Scorpius begun, hitting Albus' head with his book. "But I think you should do better: win the match tomorrow and kiss her afterwards."

Rose laughed and shook her head, but her insides burned with envy. Scorpius sure knew how to be romantic, didn't he?  _To every other girl but you, of course_ , she thought, pain piercing through her heart.  _And now your other best friend will get himself a girlfriend while you'll be forever alone and possibly raising cats._

"Will it work out?" Albus inquired, still unsure.

"Of course it will, Al. I told you, she clearly fancies you, and judging by your reaction, you fancy her too, although I don't know if you've ever really thought about it until now," Rose said, smiling wider when her cousin's blush gave him away once again. "You know what to do. Don't mess this up!"

Albus smiled contentedly and strutted away as if he was floating on air. Rose and Scorpius shared smirks and followed him.

"We're the best Cupids ever," Scorpius announced, placing one arm over her shoulder. The bubbly feeling came back immediately, but Rose didn't fight it at all. She would allow herself to dream for a while.

"Yes, we are," she replied, wrapping her arms around him.  _Just for a while, he's mine._

* * *

"Good morning, Hogwarts, and welcome to the first game of this year's Quidditch season!" Arthur Finnigan's voice reached every corner of the pitch, startling some of the students who were still half-asleep on that Saturday morning. "Today's fixture is Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor, or, as I see it, family competition! For the first time, the Longbottom twins will clash for their Houses victory. Hard time to be both parents and school staff, right, Professor Longbottom?" Finnigan looked at the professor and war hero who sat beside him in the cabin, but he just laughed and shook his head in amusement at the son of his old friend. "Let's hope none of the twins gets sent to Ms. Longbottom at the Hospital Wing! And let's not forget, of course, the usual competition between the Wood sisters! Will the captain, keeper and unfortunately my good mate Louis Weasley's girlfriend Andy finally get a win against her younger sibling and equally beautiful Gryffindor seeker, Amber? It's been two years already, Hufflepuff, come on!"

The yellow and black crowd roared in response to their fellow Hufflepuff, but was cut short as the red and gold mass screamed so high it was almost a war cry. Gryffindor's enthusiasm was just reasonable, since they had had the perfect campaign last year under the command of James Potter and got both Quidditch and House Cups. Rose rolled her eyes at Fred, who started to make a spectacle on his broom, looping fast as he went up in the air. Although he seemed relaxed, she knew the pressure to be the successor of their cousin – who was close to becoming Tutshill Tornados' new chaser – was a true hardship.

She, then, locked her eyes on Albus, who was chatting with Amber and Hugo. He had an easy smile on his face, and she hoped he remained like that until the end of the game. He had one perfect chance to get the girl (according to a super excited Lily, just like his father did), and if he managed to do it, it would be awesome.

"Oh, there you are. Been looking for you all morning," a soft voice woke her up from her reveries a few minutes later, and she quickly turned to see Scorpius worming his way into the crowd so he could sit beside her.

Rose held her breath immediately and smiled at him. Faith hissed discreetly beside her – obviously still mad at the Slytherin for unknowingly making her friend suffer –, but kept quiet and didn't bother showing any other signs of acknowledging him. Rose hadn't tried looking for Scorpius before the match, figuring he would watch it alongside his girlfriend on the Gryffindor side. So she was surprised – and very, very happy – to see him there.

"I thought you'd watch the game with Carrie," she replied slowly, averting her eyes to the exchange of passes between the Gryffindor players, afraid that looking at Scorpius would show him how jealous she was.

"I can only take so much of Gryffindor's passion. I'd probably go deaf if I stayed on that side of the pitch," Scorpius said, finally resting comfortably beside his best friend, who tried not to stiff at his closeness. "Besides, I don't know why you're surprised. We always watch this game together."

Rose tried really hard not to feel some crazy hope with his response, but there was no way she couldn't see that as a sign that at least their friendship was more important than his relationship. At the same time she was running from Scorpius as fast as she could, she was also clinging onto every little thing they shared when he caught up to her. Not very healthy, but she just couldn't help it.

"I know, I just- well, I thought this time it would be different because- you know," she explained, cursing herself for the blush that crept over her cheeks. Her eyes were dead on the game as Roxanne dodged a bludger with ease and scored her first goal, fact that Rose barely registered. Why was Scorpius there? Why couldn't he make things easier for her and get away with his beloved girlfriend? Why must he hurt her that way, giving her hopes she couldn't afford feeling?  _Because he doesn't have the slightest idea of what you're feeling, as he should. It's not his fault and you know it_ , she refrained herself right away and sobered up.

"What? Of course not, Rosie. It's the only match of the year the both of us can watch together, it's our tradition," Scorpius answered, a mix of shock and confusion in his voice. " _And_ I want us to be together to watch Albus making it or breaking it. Hoping he will make it, of course. Anyway, we have to see it so we can mock him afterwards."

Faith rolled her eyes, for she knew her best friend was over the moon at that moment. Carrie could have him the way Rose wanted, but there was a Scorpius that was still hers – the Scorpius who cared about his best friends and spending time with them because that's how they've always worked. The friendly, funny and easy-going side he only really showed when he was beside her or Albus. Rose doubted very much he was anything close to that with any of his girlfriends.  _You shouldn't be thinking like that_ , she thought, trying to stop the images of the good times she had spent with him.  _Yes, he is your best friend, but you should, no, you must distract yourself away from him_.

"Oh, you flatter me," Rose replied, grinning, then turned to face her other best friend. "Oooh, Faith, I haven't told you. Albus and Amber fancy each other!"

"WHAT?" Faith asked in bewilderment, her green eyes the size of two galleons. _"_ When did this happen?"

"Yesterday, after Transfiguration. Amber gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving the class so we obviously teased the hell out of him until he decided to do something about it," Scorpius explained in a proud voice, obviously cheering for his best friend.

"No, Scorp, you're giving him too much credit," Rose said, stopping for a second to enjoy the happy, knowing smile on Scorpius' face over hearing his nickname. "It's more like we told him what to do and he's going to do it."

"Oh, now it makes sense," Faith smirked, looking at the object of their talk, who passed the quaffle so Alice could score Gryffindor's second goal. "I was starting to think he was confounded or something."

"Oh, Albie. Our mate is growing up," Scorpius snickered, pulling out a bag of sugar quills from his cloak and handing it to Rose. "Oh, yeah, mum just sent this. Since I hate them and she knows it, I can only imagine she'd rather feed her other favourite person."

Rose beamed and happily opened up the bag. Astoria Malfoy surely always had lots of sugar quills whenever Rose visited the Manor, but it wasn't often that she decided to owl her some. She would usually send them on Christmas or on Rose's birthday, but both were still weeks away.

"Well, this is odd. Did she offer any explanations?" Rose asked with a frown. What had she done to deserve them? She racked her mind for anything, but ultimately came up with nothing.

"Nope. Just sent it attached to her usual letter," Scorpius answered, shrugging. "Maybe she forgot that I don't like them, I don't know."

"Or maybe she realised that a person who voluntarily deals with you every day deserves an award," Faith chided in in a matter of fact voice.

Scorpius laughed, mistaking the venom in the girl's voice for her usual teasing. Rose, on the other hand, threw Faith a warning look. As good as her intentions were and as much as she appreciated them, Rose really didn't want to figure in the middle of a war between her most relentless friends.

"Oh, Davies, you almost did it! You were about to break your record of ten minutes without baring your teeth at me. Too bad you missed your shot," Scorpius retorted ironically, arching an eyebrow at the other girl.

"It's just too easy, ferret spawn, I can't help myself," Faith said, toning down a bit under the alarmed stare from Rose.

"Alright, you two, claws off. I have sugar quills, Al will get together with Amber, this is a happy moment," Rose interrupted them as Scorpius threatened to respond, then aimed her attention back at the game.

"Longbottom grabs the quaffle and prepare to shoot. Von Bohn almost gets it but it's goal for Hufflepuff! Twenty-Ten!" Finnigan announces as Frank celebrates his first goal on his House team. "Way to go, mate! Proving he's an excellent chaser just like his sis- Wait, is that the snitch? WOOD SPOTTED THE SNITCH!"

"Wow, already? It's been, like, fifteen minutes! She's good," Faith remarked, taken aback as both seekers dove for the tiny ball, apparently located near the centre goal post on the Hufflepuff side.

"Wood saw it first, but Madison was closer to it! They are head to head! Any moment now...WOOD CAPTURES THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS ONCE AGAIN!" Finnigan screamed, more disappointed than excited, but it didn't matter to anyone anymore. Amber soared up, snitch safe in her right hand, while Gryffindor exploded with happiness.

"I said win the match, Al, but then Amber won it almost by herself. Well, anyway, come on, now, mate. It's your chance!" Scorpius muttered, watching his best friend's actions intently. Rose didn't even dare to talk, and placed both hands over her mouth as she waited for the moment.

The Gryffindor team reached the ground in a group hug, but at the second they cut apart, Albus turned to face Amber and kissed her right on the mouth.

"YES!" Rose and Scorpius screamed, and as if they had planned it, they hugged each other tightly. Rose felt her heart beating like crazy at her throat, but had no intention of letting him go. He smelled like sandalwood and vanilla, and even though she very much knew that, it was always inebriating to feel it. His hands held her close against his body, sending shivers all over her skin. But the best thing of it all was the way they just fit in each other's arms. It was so perfect Rose just couldn't not believe they were meant for each other.

"I can't believe this, I didn't think- ooh, hey," Faith said, finally noticing what was happening beside her. "Are you guys going with the flow? Should I leave you to yourselves?"

They separated immediately, both faces on fire.  _Faith, I love you with all my heart, but right now I want to kill you very slowly_ , Rose thought, and somehow she managed to convey her feelings through her eyes, because the big smirk on her best friend's face faltered visibly.

"I-I should probably find Carrie," Scorpius announced, looking at the Gryffindor crowd as though he would find her just like that. His words were like a blow on Rose's stomach, but she tried not to look as hurt as she felt. "Are you guys coming to the party at the common room? Fred said he smuggled loads of muggle booze."

"It's funny how we are both Prefects and we just don't give a bloody dugbog about the twenty-something rules he broke," Rose replied, laughing to mask her disappointment. Why couldn't they hold each other forever? Just like they were, nothing more, and her life would be perfect already.

"You don't because you love the vodka. If it were firewhiskey you'd vetoed it already," Scorpius said with a smirk, and Rose blushed because she knew he was remembering the time they had discovered vodka. It was the New Year's Party at The Burrow last year. Scorpius and Albus had to lock her inside a room for one hour before their families suspected anything, because she didn't seem to want to stop dancing without music.

"You're probably right. I'm such a disappointment," she admitted with an eye roll. "Well, I reckon I must go so I can take the mickey out of Al. I'm pretty sure there's a rule about having to do this."

Scorpius smirked, and his pale eyes shone wickedly against the sunlight.

"That's my girl," he said, not noticing Rose's blush since he started to walk away from the seats. "I'll meet up with Carrie, then. See you there!"

Faith and Rose remained on their spots while the latter sighed sadly.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you," Faith muttered, looking apprehensively at Rose.

"It's okay. I mean, we'd have to interrupt it sometime so he could get back to his bloody girlfriend, right?" Rose responded dejectedly, running a hand through her hair. "Are you coming to the party?"

"'Course I am. I still can't believe Albus actually got himself a girlfriend! I have to see this," Faith answered with a laugh. Rose knew the truth was that she felt the need to keep her company, but wouldn't admit to it.

"We all do," she said, smiling and walking down the seats.

* * *

"Well," Fred started, raising his glass and picking up the room's attention. "When Amber here caught the snitch, I thought 'This girl deserves some kind of award!', because, come on, she almost broke my Uncle Harry's record! But then again, since we're talking about Harry Potter, who better than his own son to give it to her?"

Rose almost spilled her drink as she laughed hard along with the rest of the audience. Albus and Amber matched red faces and it was as funny as it was cute. Lily looked so happy it was almost as though she was the one dating.  _Hugo's right, she's really crazy about this coupling stuff_ , Rose thought with amusement.

"Not only that!" Scorpius added from his seat, one he shared with Carrie Douglas. Rose gritted her teeth and used her emptying glass as an excuse to look away, filling it up once again with the cocktail Roxanne concocted. "He's also honouring his last name by dating one hell of a Quidditch player!"

A roar of applause blasted out from all over the common room. Amber burst into laughter and thanked Scorpius with an overjoyed smile. Albus rolled his eyes but didn't reply, one arm over his girlfriend's shoulder. He was never one for speeches, and everyone in the room was aware of that – besides, he looked way too ecstatic to care about being teased –, so quickly the attention shifted to other events.

"Phil's here," Faith announced quietly, and Rose felt that well known guilt fill up her throat as she looked at the portrait hole and spotted Phil, Jasmine and Keith Jones coming inside – at that moment, almost all the Ravenclaw team was at the party. "Wanna go there?"

Rose used all of her willpower to keep a straight face. Faith only had that hopeful, dreamy tone in her voice when she talked about Phil. How could she ever spoil everything for her by telling the truth?

"No, no, you go. I want to talk to Hugo and Lily," Rose said, hoping her voice hadn't betrayed her. Faith didn't seem to notice anything, however, as she quickly got up and walked to Phil.

Sighing, Rose looked down at her glass. Now she was officially alone: every one of her best friends was with someone they liked while she was there, wishing her life wasn't so hard. She couldn't even look the general direction where Scorpius was embraced with Carrie – the mere thought of it hurt too much. Before her loneliness could be detected by any of her friends or family members, she finally got up and walked to where Lily and Hugo were talking animatedly.

"Oh, hey, Rosie," Hugo greeted her as she sat beside him.

"Rose! To what do we owe this honour?" Lily asked, although she didn't look surprised.

"I got kind of dumped by my best friends, as you can notice," Rose said with a shrug, trying not to look so depressed.

"Aren't you happy for Albus and Amber?" Lily inquired innocently, and Rose should have realised nothing was ever really innocent about her cousin before replying.

"Of course I am! I even helped him with it. I'm really proud of him," she answered truthfully, smiling at the couple in question, who sat not so far from them.

"So," Lily begun, and by the look on Hugo's face Rose could have guessed she was in deep water, had she paid enough attention. "If you're so clearly happy about Al, I reckon the problem is Scorpius?"

Rose turned to face Lily with shock on her face. She had been caught off guard, and her face all but blurted it out for her.

"I-I didn't say that!" she yelped with wide eyes, but Lily was already throwing her hands in the air in some victory dance.  _Oh, God. I've just brought an early Christmas to her_ , Rose thought, staring at the dancing face of her impending doom.

"I knew it!" she said, feeling rather pleased with herself. Rose groaned and closed her eyes in defeat.

"Alright, Lils, don't tell a soul about this!" she pleaded desperately.  _I really suck at being inconspicuous, don't I?_

"What about your brother? Won't you ask him to be quiet too?" Lily wanted to know, sounding hurt by the veiled accusation.

"He already knew."

"HE ALREADY WHAT?" Lily bellowed in outrage.

"Lily, be quiet, please," Rose muttered nervously, but everyone seemed too caught up on their own celebrations to care. Lily was still very much wounded by the turn of events.

"You betrayed me, Hugo! I can't believe this!" she complained with a flustered expression.

"Oh, come on, Lils. You know Rose would have killed me. Besides, it's not like you didn't pretty much know already," Hugo tried to reason with his cousin, despite of the fact that he did look a bit guilty.

"I actually threatened to hex him, so cut him some slack," Rose intervened, a little amused by all that drama.

"Ugh, okay, I'll let it pass, only because I'm so happy to be right!" Lily announced, suddenly chipper again, as if she had never felt differently.

"You're the only one, then. I'm pretty much screwed," Rose muttered sadly, taking a sip of her drink.

"Alright, sorry, that was a tad out of place," Lily said, sobering up. "But don't you think you should, I don't know, focus on something else? Maybe someone else?"

"Hugo suggested that. Nice job with him, by the way, I'm impressed," Rose commented, giving her cousin a thumbs up. Lily smirked at a bothered Hugo, looking smug. "Anyway, I thought about it, but I don't want to lead anybody on."

Lily frowned at that statement and laughed.

"But you won't be leading anybody on! You're not proposing marriage, Rose; we're talking about going out, no strings attached!" she explained patiently, and Rose felt slightly annoyed by her condescending tone.  _Dating tips with your cousin who's two years younger than you. Just when you thought you'd reached the bottom, Weasley, you just keep going under._ "Also, I'm not saying you should forget him completely, because I reckon you guys will be together in the end."

Rose tried to see life as simply as Lily saw it, but then she glanced at Scorpius snogging Carrie and everything went back to blue. There was no way she would ever have any chance with him.  _But I guess I could use a bit of Lily's determination_ , she thought, throwing away caution and deliberately taking the bait. If she was going to do something about it, it might as well be something that counts.

"I highly doubt that second part, but okay," she said grimly, and Lily rolled her eyes. "But as for the first part, do I snap my fingers and it happens or is it more complex than that?" her question was obviously ironical, but she raised an eyebrow at her cousin for good measure.

"Oh, Rosie. You've come to the right person," Lily answered with a mysterious smile. Hugo looked torn between groaning and smirking; he apparently knew that smile very well. "I'll handle it, don't you worry. You just wait for it."

Rose never thought she would be so scared at that tiny, cute, redheaded girl.

* * *

"Damn, this sun is killing me," Faith complained, turning her broom away from the dusk sunlight a few days later. "Are you trying to blind us, Lou?"

Louis simply laughed and tossed the quaffle to his fellow chaser.

"Oh, come on, it's almost night already. Stop complaining and try some shots at Jasmine. We need to be on top of our game 'cause Slytherin won't cut us any slack. Those girls Zabini selected are way too quick," he responded with concern, and Rose nodded. She had watched the first Slytherin practice of the year and it impressed her how much in sync the team seemed to be. If Ravenclaw wanted any chance at all to win the Cup, they had to stop them next week.  _And you'll have to block Scorpius out of your mi-_

"JAS, WATCH OUT!" Faith screamed and Rose turned around to see the bludger hit the Ravenclaw keeper right on her face. Everybody seemed to freeze on spot, except for Harriet Jordan, who used all her seeker skills to come down like a bullet and grab Jasmine centimetres from the ground. They both rolled on the sand awkwardly, but with relative safety.

"Oh, my God," Rose muttered and got to the ground along with the rest of the team. Harriet got up and steered clear so Louis could examine Jasmine, who was apparently knocked out and bleeding.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Keith exclaimed hopelessly, beating himself with his bat and walking in circles. "I missed the bludger, I fucked up everything!"

"Never mind that, Keith," Louis answered apprehensively, checking the girl's pulse and performing a spell to clean up the blood from her face. "She's breathing just fine, but her nose is broken and she passed out. Come here, help me take her to the Hospital Wing. Faith, you find Jasmine's brother. You can ask Andy or Frank to look for him at the Hufflepuff common room, but be discreet. Harriet, you find Roxanne or any of my cousins on Gryffindor, whoever comes first. She'll murder me if I keep this from her," Louis commanded with the solid tranquillity of a Head Boy and both girls left on their brooms without a word. "Rose and Phil, you're the Prefects. Collect the equipment and lock the changing room."

While Rose found her cousin's attitude sensible, she quietly hated it. Phil hadn't talked to her since their argument at the last practice; unless when it was strictly necessary, like on their rounds, and still it had been uncomfortably formal. She had wanted to say something, but respected his need for space while guilt over both him and Faith overwhelmed her to insanity.

Louis transfigured a flag into a stretcher and levitated Jasmine onto it. As they left with Keith, Rose dared a look at Phil, but he was distracted watching the bludgers in the air.

"We'll have some trouble here," he remarked and then looked at Rose with an almost smile. "Want to be the beater or the grabber?"

Rose felt a wave of relief wash over her. He was giving her an opening – a small one at that, but she would certainly work with what she had.

"Well, I know my father was indeed an excellent keeper, but I reckon I'll just end up with broken teeth or something. So beater it is," she said, grabbing Keith's discarded bat and soaring up immediately.

It took her some time to actually beat the bludgers to the ground, and it was almost completely dark when the both of them entered the changing room to store the balls and bats. The mood between them improved greatly thanks to her poor beater skills, and for the first time Rose was glad for sucking at something: Phil laughed so hard he actually cried.

The laughter subdued as Rose sat down while Phil placed the equipment chest where it belonged.

"You know, Rose," Phil started almost conversationally, but there was a hint of hesitancy in his tone. Rose bit her lip and held her breath; she wasn't sure whether she was ready for that talk. "I reckon I need to apologise for what I said to you the other day."

"Phil, there's nothing to apologise for," Rose replied, shaking her head with a troubled look.

"Of course there is. It's not your fault that you don't fancy me, or that you fancy Malfoy," he stated, sitting in front of Rose. "I was a jerk, and I'm sorry."

"It's nobody's fault, really. But I'm sorry too," Rose said with a gentle smile.  _If only there was a way I could turn your feelings for me into feelings for Faith_ , she thought, wishing she could give him a clue about how crazy his best friend was about him.

"Don't worry about it. Also, I reckon I was kind of unfair to Scorpius in all my daft jealousy," Phil admitted, chuckling at his past behaviour. "I mean, you're an amazing girl, and if he's your best mate, he must be a great lad."

Rose gave him a small smile, thinking about Scorpius and his smell and his smile and his arms, filling herself with both happiness and bitterness. Everything she felt about him was so magnified that it was astounding she took so long to notice she fancied him.

"He is. And you're a great lad too, Phil. You'll find someone who deserves you," she answered, glad to finally be able to settle that predicament and hoping with all her will that someone was Faith. Phil sighed and got up.

"I wish it was you, but yeah, I guess a bloke knows when to retreat," he said in a sad smile, taking off his arm guards. "Well, you can get going, I can handle from here. I'll just have a quick shower first."

"Okay, then. See you later," Rose replied, watching Phil enter the bathroom before she got up and reached for the door, feeling lighter than she had been for days.

As she opened it, the weight of the world came crashing down back on her shoulders and all her blood solidified at once, for she faced not only the dark and chilly autumn sky, but also Faith Davies.

 _Don't wake the lover_  
The spell I'm under  
Be grace, I need it  
I pray I believe it

_Silverline - Lykke Li_

* * *

"A meter long essay? Is Hilliard trying to kill us?" Scorpius groaned quietly as he got up from the table he shared with Rose at the Transfiguration class. "We just handed him a monster essay!"

"Think about it as fifty centimetres, since we'll write it together. It's not that hard," Rose replied with a shrug, grabbing her backpack and walking out of class.  _For you, of course. I, on the other hand, am once again screwed,_  she thought with irritation, cursing her life for the up tenth time, and at the same time feeling a tinge of happiness for the excuse for expending time with him.  _You're going mental, Weasley. Mental._

Faith waved her goodbye and left for lunch with Phil, her partner in class, looking excessively happy about it. Rose smirked, but felt her stomach twist uncomfortably; three days had passed and she still hadn't found the courage to tell Faith about Phil. She didn't know for how long she could stand postponing it, but the mere thought of breaking her friend's heart was too much for her to handle.

"What's taking Al so long? I'm starving," Scorpius complained after a few seconds, tapping his foot on the floor relentlessly.

"God, you're in a right foul mood today, aren't you?" Rose commented in amusement, opening her bag and taking a chocolate frog from it. "Here, I bet this will shut you up."

Scorpius' smile was so perfect Rose found it very hard to breathe. She usually had some chocolate frogs on her – they were Scorpius' favourite, and since he was always hungry, they would come in handy. Lately (or maybe that had always been the reason, she was not sure), Rose had been using them just so she could be awarded with that handsome smile.

"You're an angel, Rosie," Scorpius stated happily, biting the head off his frog mercilessly. Rose obviously blushed, but managed to keep eye contact so it wouldn't be so embarrassing.

"Of course I am, I stand you," she retorted, sticking her tongue out. Before Scorpius could retaliate, Albus finally left the classroom along with his class partner, Amber Wood.

"Hey Rose, Scorpius," Amber greeted them chipperly, then turned to face Albus. "See you later, Al," and much to everyone's shock, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked away quickly.

Rose and Scorpius had identical stunned looks on their faces, and they stared at Albus as though he had just turned into a kneazle.

"What is it?" Albus asked, but his blush gave away that he knew exactly what it was.

"What the hell, mate?" Scorpius was the first to talk, which broke Rose from her paralysis.

"I didn't think I'd ever see this day," she said in astonishment, making Scorpius chuckle.

"It was just a kiss on the cheek, guys, hold your hippogriffs," Albus replied with a clearly fake nonchalance. His face was getting redder by the second.

"Of course it wasn't, you blithering idiot," Rose disagreed and rolled her eyes. "Amber, for some reason not even Merlin can explain, fancies you!"

Albus gasped at his cousin like the thought had never crossed his mind (it probably hadn't).

"No, she doesn't!" he exclaimed, looking at Scorpius for a support he wouldn't find. "It was just a kiss on the cheek! You guys kiss each other on the cheek all the time and you don't see me saying you fancy each other!"

Rose's face matched her cousin's at the speed of light; much to her surprise, so did Scorpius'.

"It's different, Al. We're best friends, we're allowed to do that," Rose explained a few seconds later, trying to gauge Scorpius' expression and lack of response. He frowned, taken aback by his mate's unusually good argument. Was he  _thinking_ about it? Her whole body turned into a bubbly mass of hope, but her words seemed to settle the matter for him.

"She's right. Besides, you and Amber don't hang out as much as Rose and I do, apart from the team stuff and the prefect's rounds that is. Besides, I for once had never seen her doing that. Was it the first time?" Scorpius asked, composing himself almost immediately, to Rose's complete disappointment.  _Well, maybe he was just surprised that Albus actually had a good point for a change_ , she thought gloomily.

"Well, yeah," Albus answered, considering the question for the first time. "You guys reckon she fancies me?"

"Of course!" Rose and Scorpius said in unison, rolling their eyes. Albus could be a rather clever boy at classes, but, Merlin, was he worse than Rose's father had ever been when it came to feelings.

"So, uh, what do I do?" he asked, scratching his head confusedly. Rose grunted and covered her face with her hands in exasperation. How come Scorpius had already had four girlfriends and Albus still hadn't learnt  _what to do_?

"I was going to say ask her out, as you should have already thought, you dunce," Scorpius begun, hitting Albus' head with his book. "But I think you should do better: win the match tomorrow and kiss her afterwards."

Rose laughed and shook her head, but her insides burned with envy. Scorpius sure knew how to be romantic, didn't he?  _To every other girl but you, of course_ , she thought, pain piercing through her heart.  _And now your other best friend will get himself a girlfriend while you'll be forever alone and possibly raising cats._

"Will it work out?" Albus inquired, still unsure.

"Of course it will, Al. I told you, she clearly fancies you, and judging by your reaction, you fancy her too, although I don't know if you've ever really thought about it until now," Rose said, smiling wider when her cousin's blush gave him away once again. "You know what to do. Don't mess this up!"

Albus smiled contentedly and strutted away as if he was floating on air. Rose and Scorpius shared smirks and followed him.

"We're the best Cupids ever," Scorpius announced, placing one arm over her shoulder. The bubbly feeling came back immediately, but Rose didn't fight it at all. She would allow herself to dream for a while.

"Yes, we are," she replied, wrapping her arms around him.  _Just for a while, he's mine._

* * *

"Good morning, Hogwarts, and welcome to the first game of this year's Quidditch season!" Arthur Finnigan's voice reached every corner of the pitch, startling some of the students who were still half-asleep on that Saturday morning. "Today's fixture is Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor, or, as I see it, family competition! For the first time, the Longbottom twins will clash for their Houses victory. Hard time to be both parents and school staff, right, Professor Longbottom?" Finnigan looked at the professor and war hero who sat beside him in the cabin, but he just laughed and shook his head in amusement at the son of his old friend. "Let's hope none of the twins gets sent to Ms. Longbottom at the Hospital Wing! And let's not forget, of course, the usual competition between the Wood sisters! Will the captain, keeper and unfortunately my good mate Louis Weasley's girlfriend Andy finally get a win against her younger sibling and equally beautiful Gryffindor seeker, Amber? It's been two years already, Hufflepuff, come on!"

The yellow and black crowd roared in response to their fellow Hufflepuff, but was cut short as the red and gold mass screamed so high it was almost a war cry. Gryffindor's enthusiasm was just reasonable, since they had had the perfect campaign last year under the command of James Potter and got both Quidditch and House Cups. Rose rolled her eyes at Fred, who started to make a spectacle on his broom, looping fast as he went up in the air. Although he seemed relaxed, she knew the pressure to be the successor of their cousin – who was close to becoming Tutshill Tornados' new beater – was a true hardship.

She, then, locked her eyes on Albus, who was chatting with Amber and Hugo. He had an easy smile on his face, and she hoped he remained like that until the end of the game. He had one perfect chance to get the girl (according to a super excited Lily, just like his father did), and if he managed to do it, it would be awesome.

"Oh, there you are. Been looking for you all morning," a soft voice woke her up from her reveries a few minutes later, and she quickly turned to see Scorpius worming his way into the crowd so he could sit beside her.

Rose held her breath immediately and smiled at him. Faith hissed discreetly beside her – obviously still mad at the Slytherin for unknowingly making her friend suffer –, but kept quiet and didn't bother showing any other signs of acknowledging him. Rose hadn't tried looking for Scorpius before the match, figuring he would watch it alongside his girlfriend on the Gryffindor side. So she was surprised – and very, very happy – to see him there.

"I thought you'd watch the game with Carrie," she replied slowly, averting her eyes to the exchange of passes between the Gryffindor players, afraid that looking at Scorpius would show him how jealous she was.

"I can only take so much of Gryffindor's passion. I'd probably go deaf if I stayed on that side of the pitch," Scorpius said, finally resting comfortably beside his best friend, who tried not to stiff at his closeness. "Besides, I don't know why you're surprised. We always watch this game together."

Rose tried really hard not to feel some crazy hope with his response, but there was no way she couldn't see this as a sign that at least their friendship was more important than his relationship. At the same time she was running from Scorpius as fast as she could, she was also clinging onto every little thing they shared when he caught up to her. Not very healthy, but she just couldn't help it.

"I know, I just- well, I thought this time it would be different because- you know," she explained, cursing herself for the blush that crept over her cheeks. Her eyes were dead on the game as Roxanne dodged a bludger with ease and scored her first goal, fact that Rose barely registered. Why was Scorpius there? Why couldn't he make things easier for her and get away with his beloved girlfriend? Why must he hurt her that way, giving her hopes she couldn't afford feeling?  _Because he doesn't have the slightest idea of what you're feeling, as he should. It's not his fault and you know it_ , she refrained herself right away and sobered up.

"What? Of course not, Rosie. It's the only match of the year the both of us can watch together, it's our tradition," Scorpius answered, a mix of shock and confusion in his voice. " _And_ I want us to be together to watch Albus making it or breaking it. Hoping he will make it, of course. Anyway, we have to see it so we can mock him afterwards."

Faith rolled her eyes, for she knew her best friend was over the moon at that moment. Carrie could have him the way Rose wanted, but there was a Scorpius that was still hers – the Scorpius who cared about his best friends and spending time with them because that's how they've always worked. The friendly, funny and easy-going side he only really showed when he was beside her or Albus. Rose doubted very much he was anything close to this with any of his girlfriends.  _You shouldn't be thinking like that_ , she thought, trying to stop the images of the good times she had spent with him.  _Yes, he is your best friend, but you should, no, you must distract yourself away from him_.

"Oh, you flatter me," Rose replied, grinning, then turned to face her other best friend. "Oooh, Faith, I haven't told you. Albus and Amber fancy each other!"

"WHAT?" Faith asked in bewilderment, her green eyes the size of two galleons. _"_ When did this happen?"

"Yesterday, after Transfiguration. Amber gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving the class so we obviously teased the hell out of him until he decided to do something about it," Scorpius explained in a proud voice, obviously cheering for his best friend.

"No, Scorp, you're giving him too much credit," Rose said, stopping for a second to enjoy the happy, knowing smile on Scorpius' face over hearing his nickname. "It's more like we told him what to do and he's going to do it."

"Oh, now it makes sense," Faith smirked, looking at the object of their talk, who passed the quaffle so Alice could score Gryffindor's second goal. "I was starting to think he was confounded or something."

"Oh, Albie. Our mate is growing up," Scorpius snickered, pulling out a bag of sugar quills from his cloak and handing it to Rose. "Oh, yeah, mum just sent this. Since I hate them and she knows it, I can only imagine she'd rather feed her other favourite person."

Rose beamed and happily opened up the bag. Astoria Malfoy surely always had lots of sugar quills whenever Rose visited the Manor, but it wasn't often that she decided to owl her some. She would usually send them on Christmas or on Rose's birthday, but both were still weeks away.

"Well, this is odd. Did she offer any explanations?" Rose asked with a frown. What had she done to deserve them? She racked her mind for anything, but ultimately came up with nothing.

"Nope. Just sent it attached to her usual letter," Scorpius answered, shrugging. "Maybe she forgot that I don't like them, I don't know."

"Or maybe she realised that a person who voluntarily deals with you every day deserves an award," Faith chided in in a matter of fact voice.

Scorpius laughed, mistaking the venom in the girl's voice for her usual teasing. Rose, on the other hand, threw Faith a warning look. As good as her intentions were and as much as she appreciated them, Rose really didn't want to figure in the middle of a war between her most relentless friends.

"Oh, Davies, you almost did it! You were about to break your record of ten minutes without baring your teeth at me. Too bad you missed your shot," Scorpius retorted ironically, arching an eyebrow at the other girl.

"It's just too easy, ferret spawn, I can't help myself," Faith said, toning down a bit under the alarmed stare from Rose.

"Alright, you two, claws off. I have sugar quills, Al will get together with Amber, this is a happy moment," Rose interrupted them as Scorpius threatened to respond, then aimed her attention back at the game.

"Longbottom grabs the quaffle and prepare to shoot. Von Bohn almost gets it but it's goal for Hufflepuff! Twenty-Ten!" Finnigan announces as Frank celebrates his first goal on his House team. "Way to go, mate! Proving he's an excellent chaser just like his sis- Wait, is that the snitch? WOOD SPOTTED THE SNITCH!"

"Wow, already? It's been, like, fifteen minutes! She's good," Faith remarked, taken aback as both seekers dove for the tiny ball, apparently located near the centre goal post on the Hufflepuff side.

"Wood saw it first, but Madison was closer to it! They are head to head! Any moment now...WOOD CAPTURES THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS ONCE AGAIN!" Finnigan screamed, more disappointed than excited, but it didn't matter to anyone anymore. Amber soared up, snitch safe in her right hand, while Gryffindor exploded with happiness.

"I said win the match, Al, but then Amber won it almost by herself. Well, anyway, come on, now, mate. It's your chance!" Scorpius muttered, watching his best friend's actions intently. Rose didn't even dare to talk, and placed both hands over her mouth as she waited for the moment.

The Gryffindor team reached the ground in a group hug, but at the second they cut apart, Albus turned to face Amber and kissed her right on the mouth.

"YES!" Rose and Scorpius screamed, and as if they had planned it, they hugged each other tightly. Rose felt her heart beating like crazy at her throat, but had no intention of letting him go. He smelled like pine wood and vanilla, and even though she very much knew that, it was always inebriating to feel it. His hands held her close against his body, sending shivers all over her skin. But the best thing of it all was the way they just fit in each other's arms. It was so perfect Rose just couldn't not believe they were meant for each other.

"I can't believe this, I didn't think- ooh, hey," Faith said, finally noticing what was happening beside her. "Are you guys going with the flow? Should I leave you to yourselves?"

They separated immediately, both faces on fire.  _Faith, I love you with all my heart, but right now I want to kill you very slowly_ , Rose thought, and somehow she managed to convey her feelings through her eyes, because the big smirk on her best friend's face faltered visibly.

"I-I should probably find Carrie," Scorpius announced, looking at the Gryffindor crowd as though he would find her just like that. His words were like a blow on Rose's stomach, but she tried not to look as hurt as she felt. "Are you guys coming to the party at the common room? Fred said he smuggled loads of muggle booze."

"It's funny how we are both Prefects and we just don't give a bloody dugbog about the twenty-something rules he broke," Rose replied, laughing to mask her disappointment. Why couldn't they hold each other forever? Just like they were, nothing more, and her life would be perfect already.

"You don't because you love the vodka. If it were firewhiskey you'd vetoed it already," Scorpius said with a smirk, and Rose blushed because she knew he was remembering the time they had discovered vodka. It was the New Year's Party at The Burrow last year. Scorpius and Albus had to lock her inside a room for one hour before their families suspected anything, because she didn't seem to want to stop dancing without music.

"You're probably right. I'm such a disappointment," she admitted with an eye roll. "Well, I reckon I must go so I can take the mickey out of Al. I'm pretty sure there's a rule about having to do this."

Scorpius smirked, and his pale eyes shone wickedly against the sunlight.

"That's my girl," he said, not noticing Rose's blush since he started to walk away from the seats. "I'll meet up with Carrie, then. See you there!"

Faith and Rose remained on their spots while the latter sighed sadly.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you," Faith muttered, looking apprehensively at Rose.

"It's okay. I mean, we'd have to interrupt it sometime so he could get back to his bloody girlfriend, right?" Rose responded dejectedly, running a hand through her hair. "Are you coming to the party?"

"'Course I am. I still can't believe Albus actually got himself a girlfriend! I have to see this," Faith answered with a laugh. Rose knew the truth was that she felt the need to keep her company, but wouldn't admit to it.

"We all do," she said, smiling and walking down the seats.

* * *

"Well," Fred started, raising his glass and picking up the room's attention. "When Amber here caught the snitch, I thought 'This girl deserves some kind of award!', because, come on, she almost broke my Uncle Harry's record! But then again, since we're talking about Harry Potter, who better than his own son to give it to her?"

Rose almost spilled her drink as she laughed hard along with the rest of the audience. Albus and Amber matched red faces and it was as funny as it was cute. Lily looked so happy it was almost as though she was the one dating.  _Hugo's right, she's really crazy about this coupling stuff_ , Rose thought with amusement.

"Not only that!" Scorpius added from his seat, one he shared with Carrie Douglas. Rose gritted her teeth and used her emptying glass as an excuse to look away, filling it up once again with the cocktail Roxanne concocted. "He's also honouring his last name by dating one hell of a Quidditch player!"

A roar of applause blasted out from all over the common room. Amber burst into laughter and thanked Scorpius with an overjoyed smile. Albus rolled his eyes but didn't reply, one arm over his girlfriend's shoulder. He was never one for speeches, and everyone in the room was aware of that – besides, he looked way too ecstatic to care about being teased –, so quickly the attention shifted to other events.

"Phil's here," Faith announced quietly, and Rose felt that well known guilt fill up her throat as she looked at the portrait hole and spotted Phil, Jasmine and Keith Jones coming inside – at that moment, almost all the Ravenclaw team was at the party. "Wanna go there?"

Rose used all of her willpower to keep a straight face. Faith only had that hopeful, dreamy tone in her voice when she talked about Phil. How could she ever spoil everything for her by telling the truth?

"No, no, you go. I want to talk to Hugo and Lily," Rose said, hoping her voice hadn't betrayed her. Faith didn't seem to notice anything, however, as she quickly got up and walked to Phil.

Sighing, Rose looked down at her glass. Now she was officially alone: every one of her best friends was with someone they liked while she was there, wishing her life wasn't so hard. She couldn't even look the general direction where Scorpius was embraced with Carrie – the mere thought of it hurt too much. Before her loneliness could be detected by any of her friends or family members, she finally got up and walked to where Lily and Hugo were talking animatedly.

"Oh, hey, Rosie," Hugo greeted her as she sat beside him.

"Rose! To what do we owe this honour?" Lily asked, although she didn't look surprised.

"I got kind of dumped by my best friends, as you can notice," Rose said with a shrug, trying not to look so depressed.

"Aren't you happy for Albus and Amber?" Lily inquired innocently, and Rose should have realised nothing was ever really innocent about her cousin before replying.

"Of course I am! I even helped him with it. I'm really proud of him," she answered truthfully, smiling at the couple in question, who sat not so far from them.

"So," Lily begun, and by the look on Hugo's face Rose could have guessed she was in deep water, had she paid enough attention. "If you're so clearly happy about Al, I reckon the problem is Scorpius?"

Rose turned to face Lily with shock on her face. She had been caught off guard, and her face all but blurted it out for her.

"I-I didn't say that!" she yelped with wide eyes, but Lily was already throwing her hands in the air in some victory dance.  _Oh, God. I've just brought an early Christmas to her_ , Rose thought, staring at the dancing face of her impending doom.

"I knew it!" she said, feeling rather pleased with herself. Rose groaned and closed her eyes in defeat.

"Alright, Lils, don't tell a soul about this!" she pleaded desperately.  _I really suck at being inconspicuous, don't I?_

"What about your brother? Won't you ask him to be quiet too?" Lily wanted to know, sounding hurt by the veiled accusation.

"He already knew."

"HE ALREADY WHAT?" Lily bellowed in outrage.

"Lily, be quiet, please," Rose muttered nervously, but everyone seemed too caught up on their own celebrations to care. Lily was still very much wounded by the turn of events.

"You betrayed me, Hugo! I can't believe this!" she complained with a flustered expression.

"Oh, come on, Lils. You know Rose would have killed me. Besides, it's not like you didn't pretty much know already," Hugo tried to reason with her cousin, despite of the fact that he did look a bit guilty.

"I actually threatened to hex him, so cut him some slack," Rose intervened, a little amused by all that drama.

"Ugh, okay, I'll let it pass, only because I'm so happy to be right!" Lily announced, suddenly chipper again, as if she had never felt differently.

"You're the only one, then. I'm pretty much screwed," Rose muttered sadly, taking a sip of her drink.

"Alright, sorry, that was a tad out of place," Lily said, sobering up. "But don't you think you should, I don't know, focus on something else? Maybe someone else?"

"Hugo suggested that. Nice job with him, by the way, I'm impressed," Rose commented, giving her cousin a thumbs up. Lily smirked at a bothered Hugo, looking smug. "Anyway, I thought about it, but I don't want to lead anybody on."

Lily frowned at that statement and laughed.

"But you won't be leading anybody on! You're not proposing marriage, Rose; we're talking about going out, no strings attached!" she explained patiently, and Rose felt slightly annoyed by her condescending tone.  _Dating tips with your cousin who's two years younger than you. Just when you thought you'd reached the bottom, Weasley, you just keep going under._ "Also, I'm not saying you should forget him completely, because I reckon you guys will be together in the end."

Rose tried to see life as simply as Lily saw it, but then she glanced at Scorpius snogging Carrie and everything went back to blue. There was no way she would ever have any chance with him.  _But I guess I could use a bit of Lily's determination_ , she thought, throwing away caution and deliberately taking the bait. If she was going to do something about it, it might as well be something that counts.

"I highly doubt that second part, but okay," she said grimly, and Lily rolled her eyes. "But as for the first part, do I snap my fingers and it happens or is it more complex than that?" her question was obviously ironical, but she raised an eyebrow at her cousin for good measure.

"Oh, Rosie. You've come to the right person," Lily answered with a mysterious smile. Hugo looked torn between groaning and smirking; he apparently knew that smile very well. "I'll handle it, don't you worry. You just wait for it."

Rose never thought she would be so scared at that tiny, cute, redheaded girl.

* * *

"Damn, this sun is killing me," Faith complained, turning her broom away from the dusk sunlight a few days later. "Are you trying to blind us, Lou?"

Louis simply laughed and tossed the quaffle to his fellow chaser.

"Oh, come on, it's almost night already. Stop complaining and try some shots at Jasmine. We need to be on top of our game 'cause Slytherin won't cut us any slack. Those girls Zabini selected are way too quick," he responded with concern, and Rose nodded. She had watched the first Slytherin practice of the year and it impressed her how much in sync the team seemed to be. If Ravenclaw wanted any chance at all to win the Cup, they had to stop them next week.  _And you'll have to block Scorpius out of your mi-_

"JAS, WATCH OUT!" Faith screamed and Rose turned around to see the bludger hit the Ravenclaw keeper right on her face. Everybody seemed to freeze on spot, except for Harriet Jordan, who used all her seeker skills to come down like a bullet and grab Jasmine centimetres from the ground. They both rolled on the sand awkwardly, but with relative safety.

"Oh, my God," Rose muttered and got to the ground along with the rest of the team. Harriet got up and steered clear so Louis could examine Jasmine, who was apparently knocked out and bleeding.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Keith exclaimed hopelessly, beating himself with his bat and walking in circles. "I missed the bludger, I fucked up everything!"

"Never mind that, Keith," Louis answered apprehensively, checking the girl's pulse and performing a spell to clean up the blood from her face. "She's breathing just fine, but her nose is broken and she passed out. Come here, help me take her to the Hospital Wing. Faith, you find Jasmine's brother. You can ask Andy or Frank to look for him at the Hufflepuff common room, but be discreet. Harriet, you find Roxanne or any of my cousins on Gryffindor, whoever comes first. She'll murder me if I keep this from her," Louis commanded with the solid tranquillity of a Head Boy and both girls left on their brooms without a word. "Rose and Phil, you're the Prefects. Collect the equipment and lock the changing room."

While Rose found her cousin's attitude sensible, she quietly hated it. Phil hadn't talked to her since their argument at the last practice; unless when it was strictly necessary, like on their rounds, and still it had been uncomfortably formal. She had wanted to say something, but respected his need for space while guilt over both him and Faith overwhelmed her to insanity.

Louis transfigured a flag into a stretcher and levitated Jasmine onto it. As they left with Keith, Rose dared a look at Phil, but he was distracted watching the bludgers in the air.

"We'll have some trouble here," he remarked and then looked at Rose with an almost smile. "Want to be the beater or the grabber?"

Rose felt a wave of relief wash over her. He was giving her an opening – a small one at that, but she would certainly work with what she had.

"Well, I know my father was indeed an excellent keeper, but I reckon I'll just end up with broken teeth or something. So beater it is," she said, grabbing Keith's discarded bat and soaring up immediately.

It took her some time to actually beat the bludgers to the ground, and it was almost completely dark when the both of them entered the changing room to store the balls and bats. The mood between them improved greatly thanks to her poor beater skills, and for the first time Rose was glad for sucking at something: Phil laughed so hard he actually cried.

The laughter subdued as Rose sat down while Phil placed the equipment chest where it belonged.

"You know, Rose," Phil started almost conversationally, but there was a hint of hesitancy in his tone. Rose bit her lip and held her breath; she wasn't sure whether she was ready for that talk. "I reckon I need to apologise for what I said to you the other day."

"Phil, there's nothing to apologise for," Rose replied, shaking her head with a troubled look.

"Of course there is. It's not your fault that you don't fancy me, or that you fancy Malfoy," he stated, sitting in front of Rose. "I was a jerk, and I'm sorry."

"It's nobody's fault, really. But I'm sorry too," Rose said with a gentle smile.  _If only there was a way I could turn your feelings for me into feelings for Faith_ , she thought, wishing she could give him a clue about how crazy his best friend was about him.

"Don't worry about it. Also, I reckon I was kind of unfair to Scorpius in all my daft jealousy," Phil admitted, chuckling at his past behaviour. "I mean, you're an amazing girl, and if he's your best mate, he must be a great lad."

Rose gave him a small smile, thinking about Scorpius and his smell and his smile and his arms, filling herself with both happiness and bitterness. Everything she felt about him was so magnified that it was astounding she took so long to notice she fancied him.

"He is. And you're a great lad too, Phil. You'll find someone who deserves you," she answered, glad to finally be able to settle that predicament and hoping with all her will that someone was Faith. Phil sighed and got up.

"I wish it was you, but yeah, I guess a bloke knows when to retreat," he said in a sad smile, taking off his arm guards. "Well, you can get going, I can handle from here. I'll just have a quick shower first."

"Okay, then. See you later," Rose replied, watching Phil enter the bathroom before she got up and reached for the door, feeling lighter than she had been for days.

As she opened it, the weight of the world came crashing down back on her shoulders and all her blood solidified at once, for she faced not only the dark and chilly autumn sky, but also Faith Davies.


	4. you had it coming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> N/A: Hey guys! See, I'm a nice human being, I didn't keep y'all waiting for too long again! Also, I've managed to do something about my essay too, so we're all good. I hope I'll be able post every weekend, but I won't make any promises! It's just that I'm enjoying writing so much I can't seem to stop, I'm starting to worry lol Well, anyway, there you go!

 

_I said that's what you're asking_  
 _But you're gonna get more_  
 _Than you bargained for_  
 _I said that's what you had_  
 _But you don't have it anymore  
_ _You had it coming_

_Iscariot - Walk the moon_

* * *

Rose felt all the air escape from her lungs as she watched a myriad of feelings pass through Faith's eyes. Surprise, denial, anger, hurt, hatred and then nothing. Her best friend's iris turned into a green, implacable wall of steel as she locked her jaw and ran away without a word. That movement was the trigger for Rose to react.

"Faith!" she exclaimed desperately. Instead of facing Rose, Faith grabbed her broom and took flight, soaring up so fast she almost disappeared in the dark.

Mounting her own broom and cursing under her breath, Rose flew up and tried to catch up with Faith. Tears were now staining her face, running everywhere at the will of the wind. The thing that couldn't ever have happened, the thing she feared the most - she had broken the unbreakable girl. Rose managed to hit her Achilles' heel, the only blow that could completely destroy Faith's confidence. Her cowardice twisted a knife inside their friendship, and she wasn't sure if there was a way to repair that wound.

"Faith, please, stop! Let me talk to you!" Rose bellowed against the thin, cold air. Her hands were shaking and her skin was freezing, but she didn't mind as long as she could reach Faith. "Please, please, let me explain!"

"EXPLAIN WHAT? THAT IT WAS NOT WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE? OH, NO, SPARE ME OF THIS BULSHIT, WEASLEY, AND SOD THE FUCK OFF," Faith all but roared in response, diving almost vertically near the Herbology greenhouses. At the last second, she landed on the ground safely and threw her broom away violently. Rose caught up a few seconds later and faced her roommate with tearful eyes.

"I'M SORRY! I-I didn't know how to tell you this. I didn't want to hurt you," Rose tried to explain, knowing very well that was a lame excuse. Faith barked a cold laugh.

"You're clearly doing an excellent job," she growled, a murderous look in her eyes. It was terrifying: Faith wasn't crying nor even about to - she was an impenetrable, frozen rock, which was possibly worse than seeing her burst in tears. "What were you expecting? That I'd never find out and you would be Saint Rose for the rest of your life?"

"I don't know! I just- I couldn't do it. I knew it would upset you." Rose muttered, unable to meet her friend's gaze.

"UPSET ME? Yes, you nailed it, Rose, I'm just  _upset_. That's exactly how I'm feeling," Faith hissed, her green eyes sparkling dangerously. "It's not like I've been backstabbed by my so-called best friend!"

Rose gasped loudly at that accusation.

"What? I never betrayed you! I may have kept you from knowing the truth; that I admit and I am truly sorry. But I didn't ask him to like me and I've never corresponded in any way and you know very much why!" she responded in a high-pitched voice.

"Oh, do I? Because you're a loyal friend? Well fucking done, then!" For the first time since she left the pitch, Faith had begun to crumble. Her eyes were slowly getting bloodshot and she was trembling head to feet. "You know how I feel about him! You're the only person in the whole bloody world who does. Still you chose to leave me in the dark when I stood by your side and worried my eyes out while you cried over Scorpius!"

"I-DIDN'T-WANT-TO-HURT-YOU!" Rose stressed each word angrily. She knew Faith would be mad, but she was getting way over the line. Why couldn't she understand how hard it had been for her? How was Rose supposed to maim the very thing that was sacred to one of the people she cared most about in her life? "Of course I know how you feel about him, and that's why I didn't say anything!"

"BULSHIT! You only wanted to avoid your problems! Which, by the way, is your favourite thing to do!" Faith provoked, angry tears rolling down her face. Rose frowned in outrage.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, please, don't pretend you don't get it! You know very well that you're running away from Scorpius so you don't have to face the fact that he bloody doesn't fancy you!" Faith countered viciously, with a clear intention to hurt. Rose had seen that side of her best friend before, but it had never been directed at her. Faith wasn't one to stay still when something really affected her - on the contrary, she unleashed every little bitter thought that had ever crossed her mind haphazardly, afraid that by doing nothing she would be regarded as weak and vulnerable. But as much as Rose understood her reaction, she was sick of it.

"Yeah, you're one to talk! Never made a move on Phil, did ya? Always waiting for him to notice you out of nowhere! You know what, Faith? You pose like you're such a badass, but you're more like a little girl waiting for a bloody knight in shining armour!" Rose retorted, so consumed by her rage that she was no longer thinking of her words and how they would affect Faith. "That's why you're  _upset_  with me. I messed up your perfect ending, didn't I? Because you'd rather blame me for something I didn't fucking do than accept that sometimes life just sucks! So here's your heads up: it does, more often than not! Quit being a sodding brat and get over yourself!"

After that speech, Rose got on her broom and flew towards the castle, leaving a bewildered and wounded Faith behind.

* * *

"Rose? What's the matter?" Scorpius asked the second he saw the inconsolable look on Rose's face as she approached his seat at the Slytherin table half an hour later. She had been wandering the corridors aimlessly, trying to calm herself down, but ultimately decided that she really needed comfort from her best friends - even if it meant getting unbearably close to Scorpius.

"Where's Al?" she asked hurriedly, ignoring his question and looking around for her cousin.

"Jordan asked him to go fetch Roxanne, said Jasmine got hit by a bludger and went to the Hospital Wing," he replied, and then scanned her worriedly, as if it had just occurred to him that Rose was at the same Quidditch practice. "Did you get hurt, too?"

"No, I'm fine," Rose assured him with a small smile. Scorpius could be so unexpectedly sweet that she felt her blood almost literally boil, pumping fast all over her body. "I mean, I'm physically fine. Mind if we talked a bit?"

"Why are you even asking?" Scorpius exclaimed while getting up, looking exasperated. "Come on, let's go somewhere else."

They both started walking to the staircase and Rose felt lighter. Scorpius was the first person she went to whenever she had a problem. Faith was an excellent advisor and very protective, and, being born mere months after her, Albus was Rose's oldest and inseparable friend; but it was around Scorpius that she had always felt the safest, and she knew the attitude was mutual.

Rose and Scorpius shared a bond; she had been the first to put him out of his loneliness at that train compartment. He confided her his insecurities about being a Malfoy going to Hogwarts, and found out it wasn't much easier being on the other side of the coin. Along with Albus, they discovered that they didn't need to follow their parents steps, that they could forge a path of their own. It was something they had been doing together since they were eleven.

But Albus didn't always take part on that link - there were things that only the both of them could understand, and the way they clicked was uncanny. Even with Rose's newfound feelings that were far from platonic, she knew that only with Scorpius, her safe haven, she could breathe easily. He always knew what to do to calm her down, and even the right jokes to make her laugh when she wasn't in the best of moods. When she came to think of it, fancying him seemed like the only natural thing to have happened.

Rose lost track of her thoughts when Scorpius stopped without warning and she collided against his back. She grumbled a complaint and took a step back to find out what was going on, but a voice answered her silent question before she could see the big picture.

"Where are you going?" Carrie Douglas asked, not even bothering to hide the irritation in her voice. She was staring directly at Rose, although her question was aimed at her boyfriend.

"To talk to Rose," Scorpius answered calmly, clearly unprovoked by Carrie's jealousy. Rose felt a rush of satisfaction she shouldn't be feeling; it wasn't like her to encourage any kind of arguments or intrigues, yet she ashamedly found herself proud to be favoured by Scorpius.

"And why can't you talk to her here? Where's Albus?" his girlfriend went on angrily, her greenish eyes roaming the room for her housemate.

"Albus went to the common room, and I have to talk to her in private," Scorpius said, slightly upset at the scene Carrie was making. "Carrie, you know Rose's my best friend, and it's important that I talk to her now. Don't make a big deal out of this, please."

Carrie glared at Rose, who had to resist the urge to smirk victoriously at the girl.  _You're not like that, Rose Weasley. Don't play that game_ , she told herself as she stood her ground and did not break eye contact until Carrie huffed and looked away.

"Fine. Have fun," she hissed in a dangerous tone before walking out on them, her long, bright blonde hair swooping as she moved. Scorpius breathed out slowly and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Rose muttered, even though the jealous, egoistic part of her roared in celebration.

"It's not your fault, Rose, don't bother," Scorpius replied, turning to face her and waving the incident away, although he did look a little shaken. "I'll deal with Carrie later."

Rose bit her lip, still unconvinced it wasn't her fault. As much as that episode gave her a lot of hope, combined with the fact she didn't like Carrie - for more than obvious reasons -, she really didn't want to cause Scorpius any distress.  _You're being a real troublemaker today, aren't you?_  she thought bitterly.

"Are you sure? She looked really mad at you," Rose insisted with a worried look, watching the girl's retreating figure climbing up the stairs, probably heading to Gryffindor Tower. "I mean, we don't have to talk right now, it's okay."

Scorpius laughed and Rose felt her stomach flutter at the sight of his beautiful smile and the way his eyes glimmered along with it.

"You say that because you didn't see your own face when you showed up," he retorted with an eye roll, distinctively having none of her excuses. "I'm worried, okay?"

It took Rose exactly five seconds to realise that no, she hadn't died, even though she was almost sure her heart had had stopped. She knew that going to Scorpius for comfort would make her feel things to her she shouldn't feel, but that was way over her expectations. She blushed so hard her face was actually heating up, but before she could fret about Scorpius noticing it, she realised there were tinges of red on his face too. He cleared his throat and resumed his way to the staircase.

"What I meant is that it's no big deal. So come on," he said, turning his back on Rose and motioning her to follow him.

Rose stared at Scorpius' back with her mouth agape as she accompanied him. Was he  _embarrassed_  for what he had just said? Her heart made a comeback, and it was now beating furiously inside her chest. Could that mean something?  _No, no, no, no. Stop. Stop raising your hopes, Rose. For starters, he's obviously embarrassed because it's not like him to show his feelings, which are, by the way, completely platonic. He's worried about you because you're his best friend and that's what best friends do. Besides, he will get back to his girlfriend after you're done crying your heart out. And you shouldn't even be thinking about your non-existent love life. You just had a major falling out with your other best friend, remember? You should be feeling awful_ , she put her daydreaming to a halt while Faith's words filled her head at once. Her last two hours had been so full of ups and downs that she would probably need to take a few days off of her life to rest from them.  _I wonder if Aunt Hannah would induce me into a coma if I dropped by the Hospital Wing_.

They walked in silence until Scorpius found an empty classroom on the second floor.

"I reckon it's the best we can get on short notice," he announced sheepishly as he entered after Rose. The classroom was dusty and poorly illuminated by the moonlight, but they could make out each other's figures just fine.

"It's okay, I guess I'll be able to speak here," she replied with a short laugh, sitting at an old chair. Scorpius climbed the professor's table and sat lazily on it.

"So, what's up?" he asked, regarding her with a soft gaze.

Rose bit her lip, going back over the facts that had made her life a genuine hell for the last two weeks.

"I had a fight with Faith," she begun in a sad tone, feeling something catch at her throat as she went on. "It was- rather ugly."

Scorpius frowned in confusion and Rose couldn't really blame him. In the five-year lifespan of the friendship between the two girls, they had never really fought about anything, even when their opinions differed enormously (which wasn't the case when it came to Rose and Scorpius who, on the occasions they had an argument, would not only have it loud and public but also add some hexes just for the sake of it).

"But why?" he questioned in a voice so low it was as if he was asking himself.

Rose blushed and looked down nervously. It was one thing to open her heart to her brother about her dilemma with Phil; telling Scorpius wouldn't be nearly as easy. Though he was the one to whom she told everything, she had never managed to express her thoughts about other guys - something he didn't find as difficult when it went the other way round. Now that she knew how she felt about him it didn't seem so surprising.  _You kind of should have seen it coming, you daft._

"Well- it's-" she struggled to talk and felt Scorpius eyes detect every movement she made (that feeling didn't help at all). "It's because of- a boy."

 _Merlin, Morgan and Circe, is this the best you can do, Weasley?_ , Rose berated herself and waited for Scorpius to have a laughing fit over her prudeness. But the seconds passed and he remained deadly silent, so she forced herself to look up at him. Scorpius' face was unreadable, and Rose found it very unsettling since she knew him so well. His eyes were staring at her unblinkingly; it looked like he was trying to read her mind. Rose prayed to whomever was listening he would never accomplish that.

"Who?" he inquired in an absurdly smooth voice. Rose swallowed slowly, trying hard to understand what was going through behind her best friend's adamantly blank expression, but getting nothing.

"Phil. Phil Boot," she replied, thoroughly frustrated at her ineptitude. Scorpius raised an eyebrow and rearranged his position on the table - uncomfortably? She couldn't tell.

"Your Prefect partner," he pointed out rather obviously and Rose acquiesced. "So- so, you fancy him."

Rose's face fell at that statement and she quickly replayed her last words in her mind. Indeed, she had said her fight was about a boy, which lead Scorpius to the easiest conclusion: she and Faith were caught up in a petty dispute over Phil's affection. That idea almost made her both crack up and cry; Scorpius really had no idea.

"No, of course not!" Rose answered, allowing herself to laugh a little. "It's Faith, she fancies him."

Scorpius hardened demeanor unmistakably dissolved and he smirked at the new information.

"Well, well, well. Who'd've reckoned it? Faith I'm-the-devil-reborn Davies fancies the Prefect Boy-next-door?" he announced with a snicker, enjoying the very thought of it. "How sweet."

"Drop it, git. This is serious," Rose censured him with a scowl and Scorpius immediately refrained himself.

"Sorry," he mumbled with a guilty look, which was quickly dismissed to be replaced for a puzzled one. "But I'm not getting it. How come you two ended up having a go at each other, then?"

Rose reddened even harder at that point and averted her eyes to her fidgeting hands.

"Because he fancies me," she whispered, feeling her stomach flip at that revelation. Not much because of its meaning, but more for whom she was telling it to.

" _What_?" Scorpius asked, although judging by his bewildered tone Rose was sure he had heard it perfectly.

"Yeah. My life sucks," she mumbled with a shrug.  _You have no idea just how much._

"Wait, no, hang on," he said, moving from the table to sit on the chair beside Rose, his eyes never leaving hers. "Boot fancies you?"

"I thought I just said that," Rose retorted in an annoyed voice. Why was he so surprised? Couldn't a bloke fancy her for a change? "What? You don't think I'm eligible to be fancied?"

Her question had a trace of hurt she begrudgingly let escape. Rose was so far off Scorpius' radar he was actually finding it hard to believe someone else had looked at her differently.  _Well, congratulations, Weasley, you're even below scum to the bloke you're head over heels for._

"I didn't mean to- what I-," Scorpius stuttered for a while and then gave up with a sigh. "That's not what I meant at all. I was just- just surprised, I guess."

Rose huffed indignantly, trying to mask her misery at all costs. Scorpius didn't find her attractive enough. Those words ran through her veins painfully and suddenly she felt very tired. She was still on her Quidditch clothes, she hadn't eaten anything since lunch, and now she was even more miserable than before.

"Rose, stop it," Scorpius said ruefully, staring at her intently. "I reckoned it went without saying, but you're awesome, alright?"

In complete spite of herself, Rose smiled at Scorpius, feeling all her body melt at once. He chuckled in response, then ruffled her hair playfully after a few seconds, making her laugh. All her sadness was soon left behind, despite the fact that Scorpius had never said anything about her being attractive - he was just talking about his best friend. But Rose was falling so deep for him she feared he could get anything he wanted from her with little to no effort.

"Thanks," she replied, her heart bouncing incautiously. She had better change the subject before she threaded a dangerous path. "But the thing is, Phil can't fancy me. My best friend fancies him! How am I supposed to deal with this?"

"You're not," Scorpius answered immediately. "It's not your fault at all. Sure, it's a bloody mess, but you can't do anything about it. Is this why Faith got mad at you?"

"Not really. I mean, yes, a little bit, obviously. But more because I didn't tell her," Rose explained as a swell formed inside her chest. "But how could I tell her? She's crazy for him. Hell, she's a completely different person around him. I couldn't do this to her. But then- then she heard me talking to Phil after practice about him fancying me."

Her story was horribly cut short, but Rose kept herself from giving any details, as they could lead to questions she couldn't answer.

"You already knew it before today?" Scorpius asked, studying his best friend carefully. Rose nodded, tears forming under her eyes, and he shook his head. "All the same, Rose, it's not your fault. I mean, you could have told her, but if she fancies the hell out of him as you're saying, who's to say how she'd've reacted? What if she got mad at you for telling her? It's hard to say, but I don't think you're to blame at all."

Rose knew Scorpius was right; Faith would probably have reacted irrationally if Rose had told her. She would have blamed Rose for destroying her fairy tale just as much as she had done when she found out. The feeling of betrayal just happened fit perfectly so she could have a reason to be angry. There was not an easy way out of that situation, but that didn't keep Rose from feeling horrible.

"I know, but- I said awful things to her. She was trying to hurt me, saying I had betrayed her, and I- I didn't think, I-" she tried to keep talking, but her tears got the best from her.

"Hey," said Scorpius, cupping her face with his hands tenderly. Rose felt her skin tingle where he touched her and her breath got stuck inside her lungs. "I know very well you can get pretty nasty when you're riled up, but Faith will get over it eventually. She's a clever girl, she won't be able to deny the facts much longer. She knows you didn't mean to hurt her. And if she doesn't, I will be more than happy to hex her for you."

 _Funny you guys want to hex each other over different reasons_ , Rose thought as she managed to laugh at her best friend between her tears.

"For how long have you been waiting for this opportunity?" she asked, making Scorpius smirk.

"Since she dared Roxanne to dye my hair pink. Two years, four months and a few days. Not that I'm counting," he replied, grimacing at the memory for a second, then smiling good-naturedly. "But you'll be fine, Rosie. Don't fret."

Before she could think - and if she had thought for a split second, she wouldn't have dared -, Rose threw her arms around Scorpius' neck and hugged him. His irresistible scent invaded her senses and made her head dizzy, but it was nothing compared to what she felt when Scorpius embraced her in return. Rose's heart was pounding viciously and it seemed unlikely that he didn't notice it, but at that moment she really didn't care.

"Thank you, Scorp," she whispered, making an effort to let all her appreciation show. "I really don't know what I'd without you."

Scorpius stood still for a moment, but his arms remained wrapped around her protectively, so Rose just revelled the feeling. For what seemed like an eternity later, he sniggered and let go of her.

"I don't know either," he replied with an impish smile while he got up. "Wait, you haven't eaten yet, have you?" Rose raised her eyebrows at his observance, but shook her head nevertheless. "Let's find you something to eat. You'll be cranky soon enough and nobody will see the end of it."

"You know me well," she answered, shoving him lightly but agreeing to his suggestion without further complaint.  _Just not well enough_ , she added in a wistful thought as she followed him out of the classroom.

* * *

Rose swallowed the last bite of her chocolate soufflé and tried to ignore the disgusting noises Albus made as he attacked his plate beside her. Had Scorpius not gone to practice, he would already have called him upon his horrifying manners. Feeling like it was her duty to fulfil his function, Rose looked at Amber, who sat in front of her at the Gryffindor table, and made an apologetic face.

"I'm sorry, Am. I'm quite sure he spent a year with a pack of wolves when we were little," she said, making her cousin Lucy laugh and Albus protest (something like "Fiss wof wouse!"). Amber merely chuckled and looked at her boyfriend with an amused expression.

"I've spent over five years watching his eating manners. I have no hope in my heart that I'll ever change him, so I better just live with it," she replied, blowing a kiss to a very annoyed Albus.

"I think that's advisable, Amber. Our grandma goes crazy whenever he and James go to The Burrow for Sunday lunch," Lucy remarked with a smirk (Albus replied with a "Shtuph ganghing uph unme!")

"You should talk to my mum, then. She knows all about living with it," Hugo commented when he joined them for lunch (Albus groaned in surrender).

Rose laughed along with her friends, but her laughter died at the second she put her eyes on Faith, who sat at the Ravenclaw table with Roxanne, Jasmine (who had her face quickly fixed at the Hospital Wing after all the drama) and Phil. Three days had passed since their falling out and their quarrel hadn't been settled yet. Every single person they were mutual friends with had tried to find out what was going on, but Rose refused to give them any indicators - except for Hugo and Albus, who agreed completely with Scorpius and advised her to let Faith cool off.

However, as the days went by, Rose started to lose her prospects on her friends' predictions. Every time their eyes met, as it was happening at that moment, Faith put on a murderous look on her face, and Rose couldn't do anything but to feel miserable and look away. The both of them would have their last practice before the Slytherin game on the next evening, and Rose feared her (former?) best friend wouldn't be willing to cooperate as a fellow chaser. But she didn't know how to approach Faith either, and that impasse kept burning her insides with frustration.

The only bright side of their friendship collapse was that Faith had been actually spending most of her time with Phil. They would have all their meals together and Rose had passed by them studying at the library on two occasions. He was obviously being very supportive, although, judging by the way he had inquired Rose about the nature of the fight during their rounds, he didn't have a clue of what it had been about. Nevertheless, Rose was happy to see them together, even if it meant she had to watch them from afar.

"Hey, Rosie," Lily's voice startled Rose out of her thoughts as she sat beside her cousin with an excessively satisfied look. "How are you doing today, my favourite cousin?"

Rose frowned (Hugo exclaimed "Hey!", but was blatantly ignored), finding Lily's behaviour both odd and terrifying. Albus seemed to think likewise, as he was eyeing his sister suspiciously.

"I'm...fine, as fine as I can be, I guess," she answered slowly, raising a questioning eyebrow.

Lily beamed and started filling her plate absent-mindedly.  _Oh, this is no good_ , Rose thought nervously, but it might as well have been the conclusion of every member of her family within earshot, given the way Hugo, Albus and Lucy sighed.

"Well, it is never too late for a day to get better, isn't it?" she pondered cryptically. "Aren't you late for you Muggle Studies class?" with that last question, Lily tended to her meal and offered no further explanation.

"How do you even-" Rose had begun to ask, gaping at Lily incredulously, but gave up in the middle of the sentence. "Never mind, I don't wanna know. I'll just go."

The only reaction Rose elicited from the youngest Potter was a small giggle. Groaning, she grabbed her backpack, waved her friends goodbye and started walking away. She was just a few steps apart from them when she heard Albus ask, "What the bloody hell are you up to, Lily?" to which Lily merely laughed, much to Rose's relief. She didn't want Albus to know about his sister's schemes just yet, as it would surely mean Scorpius' knowing about them as well.

 _But what the bloody hell is Lily up to, indeed?_ , she asked herself, making her lonesome way to the second floor. Muggle Studies was the only subject neither Scorpius nor Albus felt inclined to attend - even though they had several magically modified muggle appliances at home, as did several of her friends and acquaintances (a fact she would always proudly point out as her granddad Weasley's doing). Scorpius had told her once that he and his mother had bought their first television when he came back from first year at Hogwarts, but kept it hidden from his father, afraid of what he would think of it. Draco Malfoy naturally destroyed the appliance when he first saw it, but after Scorpius tried again with a second one, he begrudgingly agreed to give it a shot. He ended up turning into quite a fan of football — not that he would ever admit it to anybody, obviously.

As for Faith, she did attend the class and was supposed to be Rose's partner; that didn't seem the case of that day. Rose wouldn't be surprised if Faith didn't show up at all so she wouldn't have to acknowledge her existence, even if it were for the sake of the lesson.  _Goddamn it, Faith. No, goddamn it, Rose. You fucked up everything_ , she thought angrily, biting her lip.

"Hey, Rose, wait up!" a male voice called out from behind Rose and she turned to identify it. Cameron Doe jogged towards her and she smiled sympathetically at the sixth year Hufflepuff Prefect. "Heading to Muggle Studies too?" he asked as he reached her.

"Yeah, just finished lunch. Wanna join me?" Rose invited, figuring she very much needed some company. Cameron nodded and strode along, his tall figure towering over her.

"Actually, this is good, 'cause I've been meaning to talk to you for the last- uh- weeks," he announced rather awkwardly and Rose stared at him with confusion as they kept walking.

"What about?" she questioned curiously, even though the pieces had begun to fit at the back of her mind. Normally she wouldn't have a clue, but Lily had made a point to keep her watchful. Besides, Cameron was Eric Corner's best mate, who happened to be going out with Lily since the beginning of the term. It wasn't exactly rocket science.

"It's- uh- I wasn't sure of how to go about it, but today Lily told me to just go for it, so-" he stuttered, blushing deeply. Rose felt her face burn as well, but concentrated on keeping her demeanour straight. She was right; not only Cameron was probably about to ask her out, but Lily had absolutely everything to do with it.  _Lily Potter hardly misses a trick. I should have known,_  she thought with astonishment. "So- next week's last Hogsmeade visit before the Holidays, and I- I was wondering if you wanted to- to go with me."

Rose studied her classmate for a few seconds, her face as scarlet as her hair. Cameron's beaded dark eyes were staring back at her nervously, albeit almost hidden by his thick black hair. He had always been good to her during their few interactions over the years; as polite and pleasant as a Hufflepuff is expected to be.  _Yes, Lily, I get the message just fine: what the hell, let's do this_ , she decided. Since she couldn't have Scorpius, she might as well go out with someone decent.

"I think that would be nice," was Rose's answer, accompanied by a smile. Cameron beamed, looking immensely relieved. On cue, they reached the Muggle Studies classroom; suddenly Rose had a lesson partner as well as a date.

_Lily, I don't know how you do it, but you're wicked._


	5. heartbreak warfare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late, but I got back to classes so everything's a bit messed up. Anyway, here's the chapter!

 

_I don't care if we don't sleep at all tonight_  
 _Let's just fix this whole thing now_  
 _I swear to God we're gonna get it right  
_ _If you lay your weapon down_

_Heartbreak warfare - John Mayer_

* * *

"Oooh, nothing better than a nice dinner before I beat you tomorrow," Scorpius said, stretching lazily at the Gryffindor table and throwing Rose a smug look. The girl rolled her eyes, but didn't meet his eyes for too long; he was sitting beside Carrie, who made a point to wrap her arms around him possessively, her eyes locked on her boyfriend's best friend. Rose looked away with a pang in her chest, forcing her expression to remain blank.

"You wish," she replied in a superior tone, even though she didn't feel all that confident. With the broken friendship between Rose and Faith, the team could be in serious trouble. They would have a practice in an hour (Louis got the players used to practice on the evening before the match, and against all odds, it seemed to work), and Rose felt anxious with the very thought of it.

"Yeah, sorry, mate, but they have a hell of a team," Albus interfered, holding Amber's hand distractedly. "Not as good as ours, 'course, but Lou knows what he's doing."

Rose grinned victoriously at a slightly crossed Scorpius, but their imminent bickering was aborted by the arrival of a seething Lily.

"Lil? What's up?" Hugo asked, eyeing his cousin worriedly. Lily whimpered angrily and sat between him and Rose with a huff.

"It's my bonehead of a brother!" she shrieked with a murderous look on her face. Albus flinched and moved further from his sister.

"What? Me?" he asked in bewilderment. Rose and Scorpius exchanged an amused look. Beside his own mother, Lily was the one person in this world who could make Albus scared.

"If it were you, you'd be dead already, you idiot," Lily snapped, rolling her eyes, and Albus let out a relieved breath. "It's James! He sent Eric a letter threatening to hex him if he kept dating me!"

"He WHAT?" Rose exclaimed with a shocked expression. Hugo muttered, "Holy crap," and shook his head, apparently aware of where that was heading.

"I KNOW! Eric's just showed me the letter. He- just- UGH!" Lily positively growled, and both Rose and Hugo placed comforting (and hesitant) hands on her shoulders.

"Tell mum, then," Albus replied with a shrug, even though he seemingly tried to hide a smirk.

"Ooh, no, I won't tell mum. I can deal with that prick just fine. You'll see," his sister assured in a devilish tone.

Albus, Hugo and Rose eyed each other warily. Lily surely looked like a foolish, romantic teenager who enjoyed a bit of innocent scheming, but one really needed to cross her once to learn she was as fierce and headstrong as her mother. Being four years older than her would not save James from getting whatever she thought he deserved. Rose couldn't help chuckling with that thought.

"Hey, Rose," Phil's voice called, and Rose turned to see her friend standing close to her with a bag over his shoulder, his bulky physique casting a shadow on the table. "Lou asked me to fetch you. He brought the practice forward a bit."

"A bit? An hour's not a bit!" Rose complained with a groan. "What's his excuse?"

"Uh, he said something about having a Heads meeting later," Phil replied with a shrug and Amber snorted loudly before Rose could even react.

"A Heads meeting, just him and Andy?" she said with a sneer, clearly rejoicing over the news about her sister and her boyfriend. "That's bollocks, but it's a genius excuse, I have to give it to them."

Albus, Hugo and Lily laughed, but Scorpius remained strangely quiet, paying close attention to Phil.  _What, are you trying to figure out if he really fancies me?_ Rose thought bitterly, then looked back at her teammate.

"I'm going to murder Louis," Rose muttered, but got up anyway.

"Wait, but where's the rest of the team?" Scorpius asked suddenly, scanning the Ravenclaw table. Rose frowned at his odd question, but silently agreed with him. "Why didn't Louis come here himself to call Rose?"

Phil stared at Scorpius with a somewhat annoyed expression, but Albus answered first.

"Probably 'cause Rose would hex his balls off if he told her he's getting laid on her expense," he said, apparently having as much fun as his girlfriend over the subject. "And that would be rather counterproductive to his plans."

"It's flattering that you know me so well, Al," Rose replied with a smirk, grabbing her bag. Albus simply winked in response.

"But you've just eaten! You can't practice Quidditch right now!" Scorpius insisted, and Rose stared at him, taken aback by his attitude. What was he on to?

"Are you channelling my mum, Scorpius?" she asked, laughing. Lily stared at her intently, arching a surprised eyebrow, but Rose ignored the silent message.  _Don't, Lil. I don't even know what you're thinking, but it's not that_.

"Reckon he's trying to sabotage our practice. That afraid of losing, Malfoy?" Phil retorted with arrogance and gazed defiantly at Scorpius, who huffed.

"As if. I was just saying, but okay, whatever," he snarled, turning away to face Carrie; she had been watching the exchange with an unamused expression, her arms still locked around his torso. Rose had to repress the urge to growl in anger by turning her back on the both of them.

By that moment, Lily was positively trying to bury a hole on Rose's skull with the power of her sharp blue eyes, but her cousin remained resolute on tuning it out.  _Scorpius is right. It's an awful idea. What was Louis thinking? Okay, I know what he was thinking. Ugh, boys_ , Rose thought, rolling her eyes and waving her friends goodbye before walking away with Phil.

"Let's go. I asked Jas to pick your uniform for you," he said as they distanced from the Gryffindor table, pointing at the bag he was carrying. Rose smiled, but couldn't help feeling guilty as well. If Phil was there to pick her up, that meant that Faith knew about it and was probably fuming by the pitch.  _Goddamnit, when I think I'll have a chance to make things right, Louis screws everything. Sorry, Andy, but your boyfriend deserves losing his balls today._

"Thanks, Phil," she responded gratefully.

"Don't mention it," Phil replied, shrugging. "Anyway, why am I under the impression that Malfoy hates my guts?"

Rose laughed and shook her head lightly. She couldn't tell Phil that Scorpius knew about him without causing a major uneasiness between them - not to mention that he couldn't know about Faith.  _You're keeping too many secrets, Rose. You're going to explode._

"He doesn't. He probably thinks Louis is barking mad for calling a practice right after dinner, and I agree with him, to be honest," she reasoned, raising her arms indignantly. "I mean, come on! Is Louis trying to kill us?"

"I don't know, Rose. I just follow orders," Phil claimed with a chuckle, then eyed Rose carefully. "Anyway, changing the subject a bit: are you and Faith still mad at each other?"

Rose sighed; she figured Phil would ask her about it at some point, as he had been doing religiously every day. Her answer remained the same:

"I reckon so," she said, gazing at the landscape woefully.

"And I'm never going to find out why is it, am I?" Phil questioned, sounding resigned.

"I'm sorry, Phil, but I don't want to talk about it. I won't mind if she tells you, but I'm afraid you won't have any luck with me," Rose replied automatically. She had been saying that for so long to so many people she didn't even fumble anymore. Faith might not want anything to do with her, but Rose wouldn't be the one to spill the beans about her infatuation to the very object of it. She already felt bad for telling Hugo, Scorpius and Albus, even though she knew they would take the secret to their graves. She didn't want anybody else inside that bubble, unless Faith herself agreed to it.

"She refuses to tell me, too, obviously," the Ravenclaw beater said, wrinkling his face. "And I'm not pushing it. But she's one of my best friends, y'know? I'm just worried."

Rose smiled and looked at Phil almost happily. If only Faith were there to listen to him, she wouldn't have to worry about Rose ever again.

"I know, and I'm glad you're by her side. Even if she never says so, I'm sure she's glad too," she told him. Phil smiled sheepishly and an idea begun to form inside her head.  _I think Lily is starting to rub off on me_. "Actually, I think you two would look quite cute together."

He stared back at Rose with a surprised look on his face, then laughed nervously.

"You're kidding, right? Faith would kick my arse if I even thought about it," Phil argued adamantly, but his eyes gave him away: he was considering it.

 _For the love of Dumbledore, Phillip! How can you be so dense?_ Rose thought in astonishment, holding her breath to keep her from hitting his head with the first thing she could summon.

"Come on, Phil, you know she's not really like that. And I'm not saying ask her out now," Rose countered, rolling her eyes.  _Actually, that's exactly what I'm saying, but I can't be too obvious._ "All I'm saying is: you two care about each other, you look cute together and I reckon you should give it a thought."

Phil contemplated the suggestion for a few seconds as they reached the outskirts of the Quidditch pitch. Rose remained in silence, praying her efforts would work somehow.

"You're not doing that only 'cause you feel responsible for my happiness, are you?" he asked, arching an inquisitive eyebrow at her. "'Cause you don't have to."

Rose gasped, slightly offended at what he was implying.

"I'm being honest, okay? I'd never say this if I didn't really think so," she replied tenaciously, then added in a serious tone, "Besides, I'm saying this because I know you care enough about Faith to only do it if you really have your heart in it. I wouldn't gamble your friendship, let alone Faith, just to redeem myself."

"Alright, sorry, you're right. I reckon I didn't think that one through," Phil said, scratching his head uncomfortably. "Thanks, Rose. I'll give it a thought."

Rose beamed at him, feeling pleased with herself. For the first time in weeks, it felt like there was something going the right track in her life. Even if Faith never found out what she'd just done, she was happy that she had been able to do something to help mending her heart.

"It's okay. That's what friends are for," she assured him with a shrug, then looked at the empty pitch and frowned. "Where are they?"

Phil hesitated for a second, as if he had forgot that they were heading for practice.

"Oh, maybe they're inside the changing room waiting for us," he responded, and they walked towards the wooden doors. Rose bit her lip nervously, remembering the last time she had been there; would Faith ever forgive her?

They entered the dim-lit room, only to find a lonesome Faith sitting by a bench. She looked up at the pair of them and her green eyes flicked with rage.  _Oh, for the love of Merlin, can this get any worse?_  Rose thought desperately, feeling her breath catch in her throat. Faith might as well have had walked on them snogging, by the livid expression she was wearing.

"Oh, hey, Faith! Sorry we're late," Phil said animatedly, waving at his best friend as if the heavy energy in the room didn't exist. His voice seemed to calm Faith down, as she looked away from Rose and sighed.

"Yeah, but nobody showed up yet. You sure Louis said 7:30?" she asked in a low voice, averting her eyes down. Rose stared at Phil, feeling just as confused.  _What the hell is going on?_

"They must be getting here. I'll go look outside," he replied casually, dropping his bag on the floor and leaving the room. Two seconds later, the door closed with a bang, and a characteristic click revealed that it had been locked. Rose turned to the door with wide eyes, placing both hands over the wooden surface.

"PHIL! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled against the door. Phil snickered distinctively on the other side.

"I  _think_  I'm going back to the castle, where the rest of the team is waiting for me, until it's time for practice," he replied with tranquillity. "And I've cast a  _Colloportus_  on the door, so I don't think you guys will get out anytime soon. Try talking to each other until then, eh? Bye, girls!"

Rose gritted her teeth with annoyance, but ultimately sighed. Phil's plan wasn't fail proof at all; she could easily get out by countless other ways, since she had her wand on her. However, doing so would mean not only that she completely ignored his efforts to help his friends, but also that she wasn't willing to clear things out with Faith, which wasn't true at all. Phil had simply and cleverly given Rose an excuse, and she would gladly use it.

Faith was unmoved from the moment Phil left. Her eyes were locked on the floor, and she didn't look a bit amused by Phil's prank. Rose approached her cautiously and sat on the bench opposite to hers.  _I better do this already_ , she thought, casting a  _Muffliato_  on the door for good measure. She couldn't risk having Phil outside eavesdropping, as farfetched as that possibility sounded.

"I reckon he really wants us to talk," Rose mumbled tentatively, her eyes searching for her best friend's.

Silence followed her words as Faith remained frozen on spot. Rose sighed again and bit her lip. She couldn't have expected it any differently, but Faith was being nerve-wreckingly intransigent.

"Faith, please, talk to me," she asked in a tired voice. "Don't be like this. I really didn't mean to hurt you. I just- I thought I was protecting you."

Faith breathed out slowly, gripping her knees so tightly her knuckles whitened. There was a pregnant hiatus between her immediate reaction and her actual answer, one Rose didn't dare to interrupt.

"I don't need protection," she hissed, her voice trembling with self-restraint.

"I know. I know you're strong and I know you can take care of yourself," Rose replied with a sad smile. "You're the girl who hexed McLaggen for making fun of your burned hair when we were eleven, after all. But you're also one of the people I love most in this world. I care about you, Faith; I care so much. I will always protect you, even if you don't want me to. I know it wasn't the best decision in the world, but please understand that I'd never want to hurt someone I love. Forgive me, I'm so sorry."

Large teardrops rolled down from Faith's eyes as she leaned her head on the wall. Rose felt her heart shrink painfully; the only time she had ever seen Faith cry was when she received the news her grandmother had passed away. She never cried in front of anyone, which could only mean she was completely over the edge.

"You were right. I- I only needed someone to blame. I wanted to hate you so I didn't have to face the facts," Faith said, her voice breaking with emotion. "If I hated you, I could pretend that you stole him from me. I could- I don't know, I could give this a reason other than 'shit happens'. Because I can't do anything with 'shit happens'."

Rose moved forward so she could hug Faith tightly. She heard her best friend sob violently against her shoulder and tears formed around her own eyes.

"It's okay. You can hate me if it makes you feel better," she whispered, her voice muffled in Faith's long, dark hair, and she felt the girl shake her head negatively in response. "But I want you to know that I'd never betray you."

"I know," Faith replied, trying to control her breathing. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Stop it," Rose said softly, breaking away from the hug so she could look in Faith's eyes. "We both said things we didn't mean, but our friendship is more important than that."

Faith nodded and wiped away her tears. She bit her lip for a few seconds, and Rose waited patiently for what she was preparing herself to say.

"How did it go? When- when he told you, I mean," she asked weakly - an adverb Rose never expected to apply to her best friend.

"Not very well, at first. I don't know what you heard, but on the first time we talked he was angry because he noticed I fancy Scorpius. I told him I was sorry, but we didn't talk much until that day, when he apologised for snapping at me," Rose explained, sitting back on the bench across from Faith. "We are good now; I think he's ready to move on."

Rose thought about telling Faith what she had just discussed with Phil, but she didn't want her to feel like a consolation prize. Besides, she didn't know if Faith would approve her meddling in her love life.  _You're doing it again. You're making decisions for her,_  she berated herself, but shook it off immediately.  _You know how proud she is, and you've just got back in her good books. What if it raises her hopes and Phil decides he wants someone else? No, now is not the time. Don't hurt her any more than you already did._

"Really?" Faith asked, and the innocence in her voice was heartbreaking. She looked nothing like the implacable bitch she usually was.  _Goddamnit, Phil. How can you not notice this?_

"Really. And I'd seize the opportunity if I were you. Do you realise he was worried sick about you these days?" Rose replied with an encouraging smile. Well, there was actually something she could do about it. "He would ask me every single day about the reason we weren't talking. It was annoying, but cute. And, well, he forced us into this, which just proves my point."

For the first time in days, Faith regarded Rose with a smile.

"And did you tell him?" she asked and her smile faltered ever so slightly with worry.

"'Course not. I told him he would only find out if you told him," Rose assured her friend, who looked immensely relieved.

"Thank you," Faith muttered, then started to collect herself from the moment. "So, what did I miss?"

Rose grinned widely, happy to finally be able to share the news with her best friend.

"I have a date with Cameron Doe! Next weekend, Hogsmeade," she announced, much to Faith's shock.

"Are you kidding me? You have a  _date_? You, Rose Weasley? A date?" was her response, along with a stunned expression. Rose rolled her eyes, even though she didn't feel that annoyed. It was too good to have her friend back to really care about the bullying.

"There's the Faith I know," she said, making a face. "Yes, I have a date, jackass."

Faith laughed lively, fully back to her outer self.

"Oh, but that's excellent news! And what does the ferret spawn think about this?" she asked with a smirk.

Rose blushed and looked down at her hands. The truth was that she didn't find the courage to tell anyone just yet, especially when it came to Scorpius. Lily only knew it because Eric had told her, and she just couldn't miss the opportunity to tease her about it (and plan a million possible outfits for her cousin). Apart from that, Rose kept absolute silence, waiting (cowardly) for the right moment to talk about it. The fact that she and Cameron wordlessly agreed to keep their normal life schedule without trying to force some closeness greatly helped her cause, of course.

"I haven't told him. In fact, apart from Lily, you're the only one who knows," Rose answered bashfully, the scarlet on her face becoming even more prominent.

"Oooh, even better!" Faith exclaimed with satisfaction. "Please, please, please, let me see it when you do! I  _need_ to see his face when he finds out!"

 _The bitch is back_ , Rose thought, shaking her head lightly as she enjoyed the antics of the one and only Faith Davies.

* * *

"So, I see you two are back on speaking terms," Scorpius said as he approached Rose and Faith on the pitch the next morning. As a tradition, the Ravenclaw team would have breakfast absurdly early so they could be ready for the match before everybody else. The Slytherins weren't as devoted, hence their arrival mere minutes before the whistle.

"Yes, and ready to kick your ass, as usual," Faith snapped back smugly, leaning her head against her broomstick. She was still bitter to have found out Rose had told him about her feelings for Phil; although she didn't actually dislike Scorpius, it vexed her to know that he had an upper hand. Faith loved teasing everybody, but she would always have a hard time dealing with the other way round.

"Oh, that's nice. Did a bludger hit your head for you to see reason?" Scorpius countered sarcastically, raising his eyebrows in defiance.

" _Scorpius_ ," Rose mumbled, throwing him a warning look, but Faith waved the implied meaning with a snort.

"No, all the bludgers seem too interested in your big head to pay attention to anyone else," she said, and Rose couldn't help laughing at the response. Scorpius scowled and huffed.

"It was Phil," Rose told him when she finally controlled herself. "Yesterday, when he told me the practice had been brought forward, he was actually planning on trapping us inside the locker room and force us to talk."

"Oh, Saint Phil," Scorpius replied ironically and stared at the subject of their talk, who was chatting with Keith and Louis not too far from them.

"Was it jealousy I heard in your voice, ferret spawn?" Faith inquired, gauging Scorpius' expression with a mixture of surprise and delight. Rose turned to face her with wide eyes and red cheeks, only to be ignored.  _Faith, what the fuck?_

"No, I'm just sad that it means I won't be able to do things my way. I told Rose that if you kept hurting her, I'd hex you," he informed her with a cynical smile, but his tone indicated a bit of annoyance - probably because of the nickname. Rose felt both disappointed and satisfied by his words; he wasn't jealous, but he stood up for her. That overprotective facet of his was rarely shown, but it was probably because Rose was hardly ever the one in trouble. Which meant, of course, that she was more than glad for his behaviour.  _Reckon I'll take what I can get_ , she thought in resignation.

"Oh, how adorable. Scorpius, the saviour of damsels in distress," Faith said with a smirk, but she didn't have time to say anything else, for Louis walked towards them hastily.

"Come on, mount your brooms!" he yelled in his authoritative voice. Rose and Faith complied and Scorpius wordlessly walked away to join his own team.

"Today we have our second match of the year. Slytherin against last season's runner up Ravenclaw!" Finnigan announced and Rose smiled at the roaring blue crowd that filled half of the pitch and completely dominated the cheering competition. Slytherin had lost spectacularly to Gryffindor on the last match of the previous season, which explained why the House students weren't showing much confidence in their squad. Scorpius himself had spent three weeks without looking at Albus' smug face, unable to believe he had lost the snitch to Amber for mere centimetres. "Two of the three Slytherin chasers are new, as opposed to Ravenclaw, which kept the very same team. And they have Rose Weasley, who rivalled her cousin Roxanne in number of goals last year! Really,  _what is it with this family_?"

Rose laughed and blushed when the crowd started to shout her name as both teams flew up under the whistle. Scorpius put himself beside her and threw her a mockingly reverent look before flying away to look for the snitch, which made Rose laugh and blush even more.  _Okay, stop thinking about Scorpius. This is really not the time_ , she thought, speeding towards where Louis kept possession of the quaffle.

Her pep talk seemed to have worked, as Rose managed to clear her mind and concentrate on the match. Ravenclaw had scored eight times in forty minutes, against three goals from their rivals. The team was playing impeccably - specially Rose and Faith, who were more in sync than ever, passing the quaffle between them as if there was no one else at the pitch. Their heart-to-heart on the previous evening had brought them closer, and their performance was letting it show.

"After a superb pass from Davies, Rose Weasley scores her fourth goal on the match!" Finnigan remarked as Rose punched the quaffle against the rightmost goalpost, far from Zabini's reach. "An excellent Dionysus Dive, one of her specialities. Rose is as talented as she is beautiful - sad to say I heard she's already taken, though."

Rose stopped her celebration when Finnigan's words hit her like a bludger and made part of the crowd gasp. How did he know? She hadn't told anybody but Lily and Faith.  _Cameron's a Hufflepuff. Bloody hell! Ugh, Finnigan, you Skeeter apprentice. Fuck! Did Scorpius hear him? Was he paying attention? Please, Merlin, tell me he didn't hear it. I can't deal with this right now_ , she thought desperately, torn between looking for Scorpius and leaving the match right away.

Faith caught her eyes with a shocked expression, but quickly collected herself and flew towards Rose so she could nudge her to react. A split second later a real bludger tried to hit her, but Phil deflected it with a swing of his bat and stared pointedly at Rose before rushing away.

"Rose, do you mind dealing with your love life later? We have a lot on our plates right now!" Faith exclaimed, finally making her best friend move.

"Right, sorry!" Rose said, dashing to tackle the quaffle from Cornhill's hand. She could make out Scorpius' figure just above her, but didn't find it in her heart to look directly at him. Ball in hand, she rushed through Smith and McLaggen and passed to Louis so he could score their tenth goal.

"And Ravenclaw's on fire! Two goals in less than one minute, in a spectacular Weasley performance. I don't know if Gryffindor will be able to keep up this year!" Finnigan said, and Rose felt the urge to shove a bludger down his throat. Although it was typical of him to blabber about everybody's life during his commentaries, Rose had never been the object of it.  _Maybe because your life was as boring as Professor Binns' afterlife until two weeks ago_ , she thought, turning her broom towards the center of the pitch. Her eyes met Scorpius' for an instant, but he darted away before she could make out his expression. The reason became clear immediately, "What is it? Jordan seems to have spotted the snitch! Malfoy noticed it way too late; looks like it's going to be an easy win! THAT'S IT! JORDAN CAUGHT THE SNITCH! RAVENCLAW WINS!" Finnigan exclaimed animatedly as Harriet displayed the tiny golden ball she had just caught, metres away from where Scorpius hovered.

The crowd erupted in celebration and Rose squealed in delight as she joined the squad group hug, forgetting her problems for a few minutes. Their goal score put them in first place in the championship, which was great, since their next match would be against Gryffindor. If they won, they would have excellent chances to win the cup.  _Sorry, Al, but this is my year_ , she thought gleefully as the team reached the ground together.

"I reckon Harriet needs to thank you," Faith whispered to Rose when they walked towards the locker room.

"What? Why?" Rose asked, looking at her best friend in confusion. Faith snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Never mind. Look, the sore loser wants to weep," she said, gesturing front, where Scorpius quietly stood, fidgeting with his broom. Rose held her breath while a thousand curses littered her mind. "As much as I'd love to witness this moment, I'll leave you two to yourselves."

Faith had the sensibility to not provoke Scorpius before she vanished inside the locker room, and Rose was left to figure out what was that expression he was wearing. Why was it that lately she simply couldn't place his feelings anymore? They were best friends, for Merlin's sake. She had been the first to notice something was up back in their third year, when his grandfather was released from Azkaban. She had decoded his struggle with accepting Lucius Malfoy as family, as part of his history. Rose would always put a comforting hand over his shoulder whenever a teacher mentioned the Second Wizarding War, even though Scorpius would look as impassive as ever. His face had always been like a book she could read rather easily.

Still, since Rose had been able to pinpoint what she felt about him, Scorpius had turned into some kind of stranger. His expressions were foggy and she couldn't understand what was going on inside those blue eyes anymore. Looking at him felt like failure for so many reasons, but she wasn't capable to look away.  _This is going to be the death of me_ , she decided as she stopped in front of him.

"Hey," she greeted him timidly, feeling her throat dry. Scorpius leaned against his broom and replied after a few seconds.

"Congratulations on the win. And the top score. Not that any of them are news to you, anyway," he said with a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.  _Oh, shit_ , Rose thought, fidgeting nervously with a loose thread on her uniform.

"Thanks. You guys were quite good, though," she commented sympathetically, but Scorpius snorted right away.

"Bulshit. Cornhill and Smith are fast and all, but couldn't keep possession if their lives depended on it," he scoffed and shook his head. "Adrian's probably ripping their heads off right now."

"Well, it's nothing some practice can't solve. I'm sure Adrian can handle it," Rose pondered, feeling comfortable with the innocuous subject.  _Yeah, maybe he didn't hear it. Maybe he's just upset for los-_

"Anyway, what was Finnigan talking about? About you being 'taken'?" he asked bluntly, air quoting the last word with a frown.

 _Or maybe he was just making small talk to catch me by surprise. Classic Scorpius Malfoy, the cunning little snake_ , Rose thought as she visibly deflated, which made Scorpius raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"So it's true," he muttered quietly, his eyes piercing hers mercilessly in search of any more hidden answers. Rose sighed, deciding she would better get through with that before it got any worse.

"I wouldn't call it being taken, since I'm not some property," she replied, cringing slightly. Scorpius rolled his eyes impatiently, so she rushed on, "But- yeah- I do have a date. For Hogsmeade, that is."

There was a pause, during which Scorpius absorbed the information with a small tilt of his head. Rose couldn't help finding it adorable even in that situation.  _You're positively nuts, Weasley_ , she said to herself, but all self-judgement was soon forgot as Scorpius' looked ready to talk.

"Is it Boot?" he asked in a strange tone, glancing quickly at the locker room door behind them. Rose gaped at him, unable to believe that thought had ever crossed his mind.

"What? Of course not! What kind of person do you take me for?" she retorted indignantly, all her hesitancy gone. Her eyes blazed with rage, but her insides tortured her; did Scorpius actually think she was the kind of girl who would go behind her best friend's back to date the boy she fancied?

"He's the one who fancies you, isn't he?" Scorpius countered with annoyance, going full defensive at her tone.

"And it never occurred to you that maybe someone else does? That maybe I'm interesting enough to have more than one bloke willing to go out with me?" Rose hissed, knowing full well her reaction was dangerous, but not bringing herself to care anyway. Scorpius was being so unbelievably stupid she was losing control.

"I didn't say that!" he replied, his face getting red with anger.

"You didn't have to say it, I bloody get it!" Rose growled, swallowing back her tears.  _You will not cry in front of him, Rose Weasley. Don't you dare!_

"FINE! Think whatever the fuck you want," Scorpius howled at her, clutching his broom until his hands begun to tremble. "Have fun with your date. Or all your dates, since I apparently have no idea how many guys are  _willing to go out with you_ ," he added venomously and turned his back on her.

"Fuck you, Scorpius!" Rose yelled as he stomped towards Slytherin locker room without looking back. She tried to think of a hex that would serve him right, but ultimately decided there was nothing that could quite translate how hurt and empty she felt.


End file.
